Pirates of the Caribbean: The Raven's Siren
by riseagainsttboi
Summary: Join the female pirate Emelia Kraven and her swashbuckling crew on The Raven as they search for the mythological Fountain of Youth. And on the way, Em meets an old lover who shows her there is more to life than living it for all eternity.
1. Wild Beginnings and Escaping Port Royal

In the busy dock of Port Royal, three figures walked past the bustling crowd. It was broad daylight, nearly late afternoon. The fresh, salty air that blew all around them gently felt like peace to those who loved and have lived at sea. The three figures' eyes moved from left to right warily on their onlookers even as they walked tall and proud. They didn't attract particular attention, except for the tall, slender female in the middle. She was dark in looks with almond-shaped dark brown eyes and a very long mane of straight black hair that fell down to her midriff, but she gave off an almost exotic look that drew many stares from passerby men.

The corners of the woman's luscious, yet dry lips turned down in a frown as she glared at a particularly dirty fisherman ogling at her breasts, nearly bulging from the plain gown she wore. The fisherman saw her evil look and quickly turned away in fright.

"I can't believe you all forced me to wear this," she said through clenched teeth as she and her friends swept down the dock.

The young man on her right smiled at his friend's temper while his sky-blue eyes danced with inner mirth. "You know that it is the good of our crew and most especially you that you are not recognized, captain," he told her. Like his female companion, his clothes were plain: a white, long-sleeved shirt that buttoned up at the front, dark wool pants, wide leather belt that carried an assortment of things like a particularly bulging bag and even a sword, and heavy boots. He was rather dashing in the average female's eye with his warm smile that broke out from his tan, sea-worn face, his lean body, and his short true-blonde hair that fell into his eyes as blue as the sky. His name was Michael Turnbull, and everyone that knew him knew what an honest guy he was.

The woman flashed her childhood friend an annoyed look. "I told you I don't like you calling me captain," she remarked, still bad tempered at having to wear women's clothes. They, in her opinion, were hard to fight in, always getting in the way. She couldn't even carry her sword and was forced to leave it back in their ship; else it would lead to suspicion as to why a _woman_ was carrying a weapon.

"But you are our captain, Em," Michael told her.

The woman named Em smirked at that. She was the infamous Emelia Kraven, captain of the rogue pirate ship The Raven and her crew. When she wasn't forced to wear a dress, she was the fearless and sarcastic "Em" who, with her crew and ship, plundered the East Indian Company ships and wreaked all other sorts of hell on the Company and the tyrant who ruled it, Cutler Beckett. The Raven was Em's pride and joy, and she had been its captain for ten long years, which made her 28 years old; ten years of harassing those upstart Englishmen with their tea.

Reminded of the Company, Em turned to the other young man beside her who still had not said anything. "Is everything ready?" she demanded. Anymore time in this death trap called a corset, and I will start shooting everything and everyone in sight! she thought.

Oswald Green, but "Ozz" by his friends, turned his lecherous green eyes away from the pretty lass he had been eyeing for a while and turned to his captain. "Aye cap'n," he replied in an Irish 

accent. Bearing his heritage, Ozz had green eyes and dark red hair. He was as tall as Em, but seemed closer to Michael's height which he was taller than the both of them. His skin was still pale, for he hadn't been at sea as long as his companions, but he was still a good crew member, despite his inexperience. Ozz was a womanizer who just couldn't ever bear the thought of living without them. His second love was the sea and the adventures it brought. "Wi 'ave ever'thin wi need. The Raven is all restocked and ever'one is all well rested. Some more than others," he added with a grin which showed his companions some of his uneven teeth.

Em tried not to laugh. "Your teeth are most repulsive," she told him. "It's always been a wonder of mine why the ladies even come near you." She herself had all her teeth and was proud of it. Try as she might not to laugh, Em found herself laughing along with her Michael at her remark.

They could all see their ship now in between two little fishing boats: The Raven. It was a real beauty. Made of sturdy wood which has blackened from time, The Raven was a gigantic god compared to the little plain fishing boats. "The Raven" was emblazoned upon all sides of the ship, but at the moment, long drapes covered their ship name. Their sails, once torn when they first docked at Port Royal, were plain white and tied right now at the top of the three individual masts. Em, Michael, and Ozz stopped before their ship and took in the raw power that hteir ship always seemed to provide from just looking at it.

"Ahoy Captain! Welcome back! Lovely dress you have on!" a voice yelled from the ship.

Ozz smirked as he surveyed the furious blush creeping from under his captain's tan face. "I may not 'ave the teeth to attract the lasses, but I would love te 'ave a lass that moons over me like yer bonny skipper does te yeh," he mocked. He didn't see her fist coming, and he was knocked out instantly before he even hit the ground.

Michael took a closer look at his unfortunate crew mate. "Yup, he's knocked out like a drunkard," he told his captain.

_Drunkard_. Em suddenly gasped, drawing the attention of both her childhood friend and her skipper. "What happened?" Em turned around and saw her skipper coming down from the ladder quickly. "What happened?" Timmothy McIlrath demanded once he was standing in front of her. Em inclined her head up to get a good look at her tall skipper. Tim, his nickname, was very handsome indeed with wild dirt-blonde hair and piercing green eyes that almost seemed to make Em's heart skip a beat whenever she looked into their intensity.

Em caught herself in time and shook her head, quickly composing herself. "We forgot our most important cargo," she replied and began to retreat back into the town next to the docks.

Tim and Michael shared a look. "Rum!" they exclaimed.

"Ill go with her," Tim said quickly before Michael could utter another word. He made to follow his captain but Michael yelled, "Tim, catch!" Tim turned around and caught the bulging bag that 

had been moments before hanging off of Michael's belt. Tim nodded and hurried up towards Em.

"Hn, thought you weren't gonna make it mate," Em muttered. She took a good look at who was next to her and her eyes widened in surprise, for she expected Michael to have followed her. Keeping her long, steady strides despite being in a dress, she demanded, "Where is Michael?"

Tim kept up easily with her, having the advantage of long legs. "He's attending to Ozz. I wanted to come and protect you."

Em cast him a glare. "I don't need protecting," she snarled, her temper rising.

Tim flinched, but otherwise seemed unthreatened by his captain's attitude. "But I wanted to. I don't want you hurt," he added with what seemed like a deeper meaning to his words.

Em ignored him but sighed inwardly. Tim has been enragingly infatuated with her ever since she had poured her bottle of rum over his head the first time they met, in this very harbor. When he had found her later, he demanded and harried her to be one of her crew members. She eventually gave in; from what reason, she never figured out herself, but a few mutterings she had caught from her own crew suggested from them that she secretly had a small soft spot for Tim. Em quickly dismissed that thought. Tim was rather dashing in his own annoying, overprotective way (not including looks), but her only love is for the sea.

They had arrived at a two-story bar called The Ferryman's Pray and they both entered. Passing more or less unnoticed by the customers there, Em ordered from the bartender three boxes full of rum while Tim cast a wary eye around for anyone that would possibly recognize Em. He suddenly turned to her and whispered urgently in her ear, "You better tell Bill to hurry it up on the double, Em. Some men from the bloody Company have come in." Em's eyes scurried towards the entrance of the bar. Standing at the doors were four men all dressed identically in red uniforms.

"Oh bugger," she replied darkly under her breath. She ran a hand through her long hair so that half of her face was obscured from the Company men. She quickly grabbed the bottles Bill had put in front of her and stashed them quickly into the bag Tim carried. "Quickly mate," Em whispered and she and Tim stole away towards the stairs without anyone's notice.

Bill came back to where he had put the bottles of rum and saw that it was all gone along with its buyers. He swiveled around and instantly spotted Em and Tim climbing the stairs. "Oy! Yeh scoundrels! You haven't paid me!" he roared and pointed a finger at them. Em and Tim froze in the center of the stairs like deer caught under a pair of headlights. Everyone in the bar, including the men from the Company, turned towards where Bill was pointing.

The Company men instantly recognized them. "It's Em and her skipper!" one of them yelled. "You both are under arrest for-!"

"Time to go!" Em yelled above the ensuing chaos that had erupted as she and Tim ran up the rest of the stairs in haste.

"Hey! We order you to stop this instant!"

Tim took the lead and led them into a vacant room, barring the door immediately. He turned to Em and saw that she had started stripping off her dress.

Em looked up and noticed Tim staring, particularly at her breasts which were fully in his line of vision. "Stop staring and take out my clothes from the bag!" she ordered. Tim started and immediately did as he was told. He reached into the bag and careful of their stolen goods, extracted Em's clothes and handed them to her without looking at her figure this time. Em grabbed her clothes and quickly put them on.

Heavy bangs on the door signaled that their time was up. "Open up and surrender to the crown of England!" a muffled voice yelled from behind it.

"Done," Em said. She turned to the window and began to open it. She swung a leg over the windowsill and stretched her hand for the bag. Tim lifted the bag and quickly ran over to her, passing her the bag. Em nodded at him and carefully tossed the bag over her shoulder, grinned at the loud tinkling sound from within the bag. She stepped out from the window and saw someone had left a carriage underneath the window. Em took a breath and jumped off, bracing herself for the impact. Em's knees buckled from under her as she landed on the roof of the carriage. She grabbed the bag and held it close to her body as she rolled off the roof and landed unceremoniously onto the ground below. "Ooh, that's definitely gonna leave a mark," she groaned. Em heard a thump from above and knew it was Tim. A second later he was hovering over her with worry across his features.

"Are you alright?" he demanded. His heart was thumping painfully hard with fear for her life. That fall had been particularly harsh for her from the looks of it when he had watched.  
"I'm fine!" Em said, but that wasn't necessarily true. Her back was killing her, and she thought that she landed on something sharp.

Without her permission, Tim picked Em up bridal style and began to run back towards The Raven.

"Let go of me you bastard! I didn't tell you to pick me up!" Em cried and began to pound his broad chest with one fist while the other held onto the bag tightly.

"Emelia! What happened to you?!" Em looked up and saw that they had made it back to the ship. Michael was there at the steps with a worried look. "It's nothing, it's nothing!" she replied repeatedly and pushed herself out of Tims unwilling arms and back onto her feet.

"No you're not! You're bleeding!" Tim cried.

Em turned around and her eyes widened in surprise, if not from shock. That fall had been a nasty one. All over Tim's front and on his arms was blood. Em heard Michael take in a sharp breath and knew he saw her injury. "Your back," she heard him whisper.

An ear-splitting whistle noise pierced the air and all three of them looked towards the direction from where Tim and Em came from. At least a dozen soldiers were coming towards them.

Em threw the bag to Tim and began to climb the ladder. "Let's get out of here! We have everything we need!" she told them. Tim and Michael obediently followed without another word of her injury. Once on deck, she addressed Tim. "Tell the crew to set sail. We're out of here now!"

Tim nodded and went off to follow his orders. Em looked at Michael who was still looking at her with concern. "We can't just stand here Michael! Man the steering wheel!" she told him.

Michael nodded and followed her up another set of stairs where the steering wheel was. As she past some of her crew members, Em felt them staring at her back. "Hurry, hurry you imbeciles or the Company will get us!"

"Where off to captain?" Ozz asked as he brought forth the world map and laid it on the table there.

"Anywhere but here," she said curtly.

Tim came towards them and heard her remark. He cupped his hands to his mouth and bellowed, "Alright lads! You heard the captain! Let's get out of here!" The bustle increased tenfold.

"Here captain, your sword." Michael passed Em her weapon which she promptly strapped to her belt. She turned to Michael and pointed a finger at him, feeling very lightheaded at the moment. Spots soon appeared in her vision. "Didn't I tell you not to call me cap-" Em fainted then and there, crumbling at her best friend's feet.

"Emelia! Captain!" her friends cried.

Michael was the first to get to her and picked her unconscious form bridal style. He turned to Tim. "Tell the crew to get us out of here," he commanded, immediately filling in the role of captain for his friend. "I don't want to see one speck of Port Royal when I come back, got it?"  
Tim nodded without question, although it was plain as day in Michael's eyes that it was he who wanted to be holding Em. Michael told Ozz to follow him and they walked down the steps towards Em's Captain's Quarters. Ozz opened the two doors and Michael strode in with Em. He carefully deposited her onto the large reclining couch on her side. And once Ozz retrieved some gauze, they set out to take care of her nasty wound she had recieved. Apparently, Em had landed hard on a sharp stick which broke. She had a splinter deep into her back which miraculously was lodged to the left of her spine.

As Michael's cold fingertips brushed against the part of Em's skin that bled heavily, Em's body suddenly shook and she began to mutter in her unconscious state.

"Mmh Jack. . . why. . . ? Fhmf . . .loved you."

Ozz and Michael traded sad looks over Em. Poor girl . . .

* * *

Out in the docks, a burly figure observed all the mayhem out in the docks from behind a cart full of barrels. A boat was getting away from the troops working for the East India Trade Company which was the cause of the mayhem. The man watched warily at the passerby. Gibbs checked it the coast was clear before sinking back behind the cart. He turned to the fellow pirate sitting next to him. "I think it's okay to get away right now while everyone is in a mess, Jack."

Captain Jack Sparrow looked at Gibbs and grinned. He was a very rough and rogue looking man in his early 30s. Tall, dark, and handsome didn't quite come close to describing this infamous pirate that has made a permanent place for himself in the law. "Well of course, but why go empty handed I say?" Jack pointed at the labels on the barrels behind them.

Gibbs turned his head and read the word "Rum". He turned to his captain with a conspiratorial smile and nodded. "The boys are gonna be delighted about this," he chuckled as he and Jack began to carefully push the cart back to their ship, The Black Pearl; the fastest ship in the world.

At the dock, Gibbs called up to the crew, "Oy laddies! Yer captain got you all a gift!"

"RUM!!" the whole crew shouted in delight and began to bring the goods onto the ship.

Jack grinned as he fully accepted his crew's praises when he stepped on board. Jack laughed out loud and held up his hands. "Not that I'm stopping you all from saying how much of a fantastic captain I am, but can we get a move on? I don't see anyone trying to get us out of this port, and as I just saw, Beckett's going to be here any second!" he told his crew.

Gibbs addressed the crew immediately. "Okay, you heard Jack! Ship us out of here!" he yelled. Once the rum was secured down in the cellar, everyone was hurrying to meet Gibbs' orders.

"Oy!! It's Jack Sparrow!" An officer had finally spotted Jack and his ship and was alerting others already. Unfortunately, the Black Pearl was already out of the docks.

Jack hurried up to the side and yelled, "That's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow you idiot!" Jack tipped his triangular-shaped hat up away from his mischievous dark eyes, threw his head full of wild hair back, and laughed out loud as every soldier from Port Royal watched helplessly as he once again escaped.

Gibbs walked up beside his captain and chuckled at the onlookers. "So where are we going now, captain?" he asked Jack once the island began to shrink in size from their view.

Jack spotted another ship a few yards away sailing quickly away from the island. He couldn't spot the name of the ship because large pieces of cloth hung on all of its sides. He wondered for a moment if someone on that ship had been the cause for the trouble on Port Royal. Quickly dismissing the thought as unimportant, he turned away from the disappearing island and looked around with a satisfied grin across his handsomely rough features. He looked towards Gibbs and saw him still standing there. "Oh, you actually wanted an answer?" Jack asked.

Gibbs nodded.

Jack thought for a moment, and then grinned once more, this time most lecherously. "I think I should pay Tia Dalma a little _visit_, eh?" he said more to himself than Gibbs.

Gibbs laughed and nodded. "O'course captain! And we can celebrate our good bounty while we're there!" He turned to the crew. "Set course for Tia's place!" he ordered them.


	2. Revelation

Things seemed to be looking bad for everyone on board The Raven. They were all worried for Em because her injury was very serious, according to Ozz who was quite skilled in treating injuries of the sort. From telltale signs on Tim's discarded bloodied shirt, Em had bled too much blood from the big piece of wood lodged in her back. Extracting it had been perilous enough for Em because the wood was so close to her spine. After an hour of pure agony on Em's part (though she never woke up once), Ozz and Michael had carefully taken out the piece of wood before cauterizing her wound.

While all this happened, Em was having vivid dreams of her past, mostly of one man she had met two years ago: Jack Sparrow. He was still there in her dreams as well as in her heart. Emelia Kraven wasn't supposed to fall in love with the rogue pirate in her opinion, but eventually she started falling for him. He was as clear as the blue sea in her dreams. She could still see his sly grin amidst his tan face that was surrounded by wild hair full of dregs. His beard was braided in two, and his long, unruly hair laid about his broad shoulders. Just almost covered by his ever-present red bandana were his bushy eyebrows that were cocked in an amused sort of way. In her dream, Em found herself standing in front of Jack once more, on top of the deck of The Raven.

Jack smiled down lovingly at her before jerking her into his arms and sweeping her up in a passionate kiss. The dream felt so real to Em. She could actually feel his lips on hers. Em closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. She slowly opened her eyes again.

Expecting to come eye to eye with Jack, she instead found herself looking into a pair of familiar green eyes. Em pushed Tim McIlrath off of her with such force that he skidded a few feet from the reclining couch she lay on and bumped into the wall on the other side of her Captain's Quarters. "How _dare_ you!" Em shrieked. She saw her sword atop the small desk next to the reclining couch and took it up in her left hand. Em jumped to her feet, ready to kill him then and there, but the action brought on a drastic wave of excruciating pain on her back. Em cried out before everything went black. The last thing she saw was Tim looking at her with sadness across his handsome features.

Michael kneeled next to his childhood friend and looked at her with concern. It was evident on her facial features that she was battling again in between life and death. Michael looked towards Tim who still sat in the same spot he had been when Michael had found him with Em lying on the Persian rug. "What the hell happened?" Michael asked in an accusatory tone. "You were supposed to be watching her!"

Tim drew up his legs and propped his arms on top of his knees, focusing on his calloused hands. "I was watching her. But then I kissed her. She woke up, got pissed, grabbed her sword to try to kill me, but went unconscious as she stood up." Tim looked up and Michael could clearly see the heartbroken look across Tim's face. "Why? Why is it so wrong if she loved me?" he asked in despair.

Michael's hard features softened a little at Tim's plight. He stood up and walked over to Tim, sitting himself down next to him. "It's not that Em _won't_ love you, mate. It's kinda like that she _can't_ love you," Michael explained.

Tim glared at him. "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it's not," he snapped.

Michael shrugged. "I'm just trying to tell you why she can't love you. She loves someone else. You don't know him of course, well not directly anyways since you joined our crew just a year ago." "Who is he?" Tim demanded. They both heard movement across the room and snapped their heads towards the reclining couch. Em was now tossing in her sleep, and each time she tried moving onto her back, she gasped softly from the pain.

"How long did Ozz say until she is fully healed?" Tim asked softly, slightly afraid to wake up Em for fear of repeating the last time she was awake.

"He said it depends on how much she will strain her back. She is captain after all," Michael replied. To answer Tim's previous question, he explained, "The man she loved, _still_ loves in fact, is the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow." Michael saw Tim's eyes widen in surprise and nodded in agreement. "Yep, _the _Jack Sparrow."

"And so he left her like he left all his other whores," Tim pieced together what happened. "He toyed with Em's innocent heart, and once he had her devotion he-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Michael held up a hand to stop his companion. "That's not it. Okay, so Jack has a rather large reputation of womanizing, but with Em that's an entirely different story. Em _hated_ Jack the first time they met. And I guess the same with Jack; although he did admit many times that Em was definitely alluring and was delighted in her 'feistiness', he had called it. Well one thing led to another and before neither of them could properly comprehend it (although this is my deduction. Em didn't really want to talk about it), Em and Jack fell in love and yes, eventually made love."

"And then what happened? He just up and left once he took her maidenhood?" Tim snarled.

"I don't really know why he left, but I _do_ know that Jack had stayed with us for a while. He and Em were lovers. No denying it 'cuz they were in love, mate," Michael added after seeing the hate brewing in Tim's eyes though it never reached the rest of his face. "Like I said, you weren't there to see them. It really broke Em's heart when Jack told her that he was gonna leave."

At that moment, a raspy voice cut into their conversation, "Would you shut yer yap over there? I'm trying to get some rest."

Tim and Michael jumped to their feet and were at Em's side in an instant. She looked terrible since first falling unconscious at Michael's feet two days ago. Her hair was disheveled from her troubled sleep. She was paler under her tan and dark circles had appeared under her hollow-looking eyes; eyes that told them she had seen death. The cracked lips moved. "I _am _alive, right?" Em asked.

Michael kneeled down next to her and took up her right hand. He smiled weakly down at her. "You are alive, Emelia. You really had the whole crew worried there. Don't you ever do that again, ya hear?" he softly chastised her.

Tim saw that Em was refusing to look at him and decided to slip out to get Ozz to check on her now that she was fully awake.

Em smiled wanly. "I can't promise you that Michael." She took a steady breath and winced. "I almost died there," she whispered. Michael heard the trace of fear she had tried to hide from him and squeezed her hand. "It was the most horrifying thing I've ever experienced. Truly. Not knowing if you're going to die or live."

Michael decided to switch topics because he felt his captain start to fall into the sea of depression and he did not want her drowning in it. "What happened back there with Tim?" Michael inquired. He saw that once he had uttered "Tim," a look of pure hate that was one to match with the one Tim had when Michael had previously mentioned Jack Sparrow crossed Em's face and she turned her head away from him.

"That bastard kissed me," she whispered.

Michael winced, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. Her last kiss was from Jack; from the day he left her two years ago. She wanted to keep that kiss on her lips, and when Tim kissed her, it was like he had defiled that kiss. "So there isn't any more room in your heart for him?" Michael knew the answer even as he posed the question. But it was more for Tim's sake that he still asked.

Em turned back to him, holding tears back in her eyes. "I can't, Michael. Never will I love anyone like I love Jack," she told him.

At that moment, the doors opened and Ozz and Tim stepped inside. Tim watched from the doorway as Ozz strode over towards Em and told Michael to help her sit up. Ozz proceeded to check the bandages that were wrapped around her torso and nodded as his calloused fingers carefully examined the stitches on her back. The skin was tinged with a horrible greenish-yellow color and was oozing pus. "This will take a long while to heal," Ozz muttered.

Em tried not to wince as his fingers softly pushed at her bruised skin, checking for any other damage he might have missed. Her eyes suddenly met that of Tim's and she quickly looked away, cursing him with every fiber of her being. He wasn't going to get away with it. Em turned to Michael. "Where is The Raven headed?" she inquired.

"We dont have an exact course, but I told the crew to take us to Pelegosto Island so we can ask Tia Dalma if she has anything for your back," he said after a moment.

Em nodded. She felt Ozz retract his hands and brought her shirt down. "My jacket," she ordered. Ozz quickly passed her black trench coat which Em put on. Flicking her hair out of the collar, she stood up with the help of Michael. She nodded towards Ozz. "My thanks," she told him. Ozz nodded and cautioned her to not over exert herself before leaving to drink some rum. Once he stepped out, chattering from the crew increased which told the other three Ozz had given them the news their captain would live. Despite how much she inwardly protested, Em turned to Tim next. The young man flinched under her piercing gaze blazing with retribution from what he had done earlier. "You will tell the crew that we are certain to go to Pelegosto Island," she ordered him. Relieved that she hadn't told him they were making him walk the plank, Tim turned around, but Em's next cold words stopped him dead in his tracks. "Oh Tim? You shall sleep in the storage cellars until we get there." Tim stood there for what seemed like an eternity before heavy footsteps came up from behind him and shoved him out of the Captain's Quarters and slammed the doors behind him.

"That was harsh, mate," Michael remarked after Em turned her back on the doors to face him.

Em made a distinct "tch" sound under her breath. "Not harsh enough," she muttered darkly as she leaned onto the doors. She turned her full attention to Michael.

Her childhood friend a strange sparkle in Em's eyes and was instantly wary. "What are you planning on Tim?" he asked cautiously. He didn't know if he really wanted to know.

Em smirked and shook her head. "It's not about Tim. I want to be immortal!" she suddenly gushed with passion.

Michael was taken aback. "Immortal? Sorry, but I don't want to barter my soul with Davy Jones," he replied sarcastically once he recomposed himself. Em laughed, which started to make her best friend really concerned. "Are you right in the head, Em?" he asked.

"Oh I'm right in the head, alright," she replied and pushed herself off the doors and onto her feet again. She wobbled slightly from lack of use and nearly toppled over Michael if not for his swift actions in catching her. She looked into his eyes and he saw a wildness and desperation in them that he had last seen when Em wanted badly to go after Jack when he left her. "Have you heard about the Fountain of Youth, Michael? Of course you have! We were told many stories about it when we were little!" Em kept ranting and ranting.

Her words soon seemed to blur together and made Michael so frustrated that he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman? What are you talking about?" he demanded once he set her back on her feet.

Em seemed to be her moody self again instead of that raving lunatic that had just been in his arms. She looked up at him with sadness and pain in her eyes. "I don't want to die, Michael. I want to be immortal," she whispered. Michael pulled his best friend into his arms and gave her an embrace that she had been desperately needed. Em caved in and wept into his shirt, clutching the material tight. "Why did he leave me?" she sobbed.

Michael held her tighter. So it wasn't just about being scared to die. She didn't want to die before seeing Jack one last time. "Em, please don't cry," Michael pleaded as he slowly rubbed her back, mindful of her wound. "Emelia, you have to be strong for your crew and for yourself." Michael kept whispering her words of comfort and encouragement until Em's tears were all dried up, if not Michael's soaked shirt front.

She lifted her head up. Her eyes were red and puffy as was her nose. "Thank you," she said heavily as if she had a head cold. "I'm so glad you're with me."

Michael smiled and let her go. "Me too." He turned around and walked towards the doors. "I gotta go since it's my turn for the crow's nest," he said over her shoulder and walked out the door, closing it with a snap.

Em sighed heavily and walked towards the doors, locking them. She didn't want to be disturbed. For better reassurance of that not happening, she walked over and kneeled down next to her reclining couch. She pushed it closer to her big oak writing desk and in its place was a hidden hatch that she knew led to the room where her crew slept. She secured the lock before replacing the couch back in its place. Em stood up and walked to her writing desk, slowly falling into her comfortably cushy chair. Em closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she conjured Jack's image in her mind. She missed him so much; with all her heart. Feeling tears prickling in the back of her eyelids, Em blinked a few times before opening one of her bottom desk drawers. Inside contained old leather books, four in all. Those books were actually her journals that she had already used up as she recorded her adventures in the seas.

Em reached inside and took out the second journal from the top. She put it top of her desk atop the map of the world and stared at it hard for what seemed like a long time. Then, with a trembling hand, she opened up the worn cover to the first water-wrinkled, yellow page. Her handwriting covered the whole page. Hoping that she would not shed a single tear, Em began to read the entry she had made two years ago.


	3. Meeting Captain Jack Sparrow

* * *

Entry 1  
I believe I have met the most infuriating man alive in the Caribbean Islands. He is full of himself and acts like a dolt that has been conked on the head a bit too many times. He acts like too much of a village idiot to be _the_ Captain Jack Sparrow that everyone in the Caribbean's know and/or fear. He has everyone working for the East India Trade Company all in the palm of his grimy hands, and I've heard he's escaped from their clutches many times while wreaking as much havoc on them as possible. I'm frankly jealous. He's been marked by them, of course. I could see the P that had been burned on his arm so long ago.

However, I think he's a joke of a pirate. Rather pompous, he talks gibberish that confuse not only me but my crew as well; elegant gibberish though. He stands taller than Michael, who is quite tall enough. But of course it could be those heeled shoes Jack Sparrow wears. Just like his own character, he wears a flamboyant style of pirate's clothes only worn by Caribbean pirates; even me.

Jack Sparrow seems to love bragging about some of his bigger escapades to my very impressed crew. Ozz if definitely fascinated whenever Jack talks about his womanizing escapades. Hearing the both of them talk of their little bedroom adventures makes me want to hurl my stomach into the sea. Men.

My crew and I found Jack on the shores of Hispaniola near the river that ran inland, leading to Tia Dalma's home. If his story is to be believed, which even I can believe is true, Jack's crew accidentally left him and are currently sailing to Tortuga, the pirate island.

I don't really pity this swaggering bloke that we have "picked" up. He seemed rather content actually when we saw him waving at us from the beach where we found him, and he even made a few jokes about him being left behind ("I believe my ship was out of rum, and in my men's haste to get more, they left me behind!").  
I do have to admit, despite his large ego and unbearable ways, Jack is really rather dashing. Whenever he looked at me-

Later . . .  
That damned scoundrel! He nearly gave me a heart attack when he snuck up behind me and whispered, "And why are _you_ up so late at this hour, Emelia love?"

Emelia. My real name. It infuriates me that he won't call me my nickname "Em". Any who, I had turned around, wanting to demand how he had managed to sneak inside when my doors were locked when I noticed that my reclining couch was moved closer to my desk and the hatch that ked into the crew's sleeping quarters two stories below deck was wide open. Enraged even further, I reared my fist back and punched Jack Sparrow square in the jaw and then threw him head-first out of my quarters before he got his bearings.

Last thing I heard before slamming my doors shut on him was him muttering, "I suppose I deserved that."

I can't wait until we return him to his crew.

* * *

Em smiled softly down at her old journal. She remembered that incident like it was just yesterday. Reading her old entries did her a good deal, mind and heart.

* * *

Entry 2  
I can't believe it! Jack's crew wasn't at Tortuga. Two full days since we found him were full of fights from both me and Jack. 'Course, I was the one actually starting the fights, but he always seemed to goad me into starting them. I have a sneaking suspicion that he seems to enjoy making me mad; I can see it in his eyes. There's always a twinkle in them whenever we're squaring off.

Some of them men in my crew say that I shouldn't fight with Jack so much because, and I quote, "Wi' could learn a lot from 'is experiences, cap'n."

Poppy-cock, I say! I can make my own experiences without having to learn from that numbskull.

Anyways, to the matter at hand, we did not find Jack's crew in Tortuga. Jack was quite pissed, to say in the least, kicking at the sand and swearing at the top of his lungs while Michael and I watched from a few feet away. With one last curse that he'd have their heads and feed them to the sharks, Jack unhooked a small box from his belt and flipped the lid open.

Michael leaned over to me. "It's his magical compass," he whispered.

I've heard about Jack's compass. It didn't point to North like all regular compasses, but pointed out the location of whatever the holder most desired.

I looked at Jack, and it appeared to me that he was having some trouble with his compass. Jack had his free hand pointed out in front of him and he was twirling it around in circles as he stared intently into his compass.

"Is everything alright?" I called to him.

Jack's hand suddenly stopped twirling around and was pointed straight at me. Jack looked up from his compass and when he saw that he was pointing at me, surprise crept in his face. His dark eyes zoomed back and forth between me and the compass before he jumped and his hand started spinning around again, this time even faster than before.

I heard Michael suppress a laugh and was puzzled for a moment.

_The compass points to the location of the holder's biggest desire._

The realization hit me so hard that I nearly felt myself fall over in shock. For a moment there, Jack Sparrow had desired me! I don't know whether to be very repulsed or a little bit flattered.

"I've found my crew!" Jack suddenly exclaimed, bringing back our attention to him. Jack's hand was now pointing to the left of us, west ward.

"Well Santiago it is!" I exclaimed, knowing the location of where he pointed to. I turned to Michael. "Tell the crew to ship out!" I ordered him. Michael nodded, face straight, and left me and Jack wordlessly.

I saw envious look that had crossed Jack's face at my authority and avoiding his eyes, we set out back to The Raven side by side. Jack still held out his open compass and I couldn't help taking a peak at it. That needle was spinning around like mad.  
"Is it broken? By God, you better not be leading me and my crew to their deaths, Jack Sparrow!" I exclaimed with great alarm.

Jack turned his head towards me and quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, first of all love, it's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow," he informed her. Then he grinned. "And second, I believe I was told by every one of your crew mates that you were an adventurous sort of lass. If they are to be believed, then panic is most unbecoming of someone of _your nature_," he told me.

I stopped in my tracks, put my hands on my hips, and faced him. "_Someone of your nature?_ What are you implying, Jack Sparrow!" I yelled at him.

Jack also stopped and turned to me. He leaned down slightly so that our faces were mere inches away. "I am implying a good _many _things, Emelia," he said slyly and grinned once more so that I saw some of the gold teeth he had.

Oh, he truly infuriates me, but at that moment, when his lips were so close to mine, I had an urge to kiss him.  
What is wrong with me? Curse that Jack Sparrow.

* * *

"'Ello Cap'n! We're all glad yer staying with us for longer, eh?"

Em threw her head back and laughed with the rest of her crew. "Of course I'd stay! You'd think I'd leave you bilge-sucking dogs run amuck the whole Caribbean Islands without me?" she exclaimed. Em's words were greeted with more raucous laughter from all within earshot as she emerged from her Captain's Quarters the next day after Ozz pronounced her alive. Em felt immense gratitude for her faithful crew mates and gave them all one of her rare true smiles.

"How are we on location, Michael?" Em inquired once she walked up the stair and onto the poop deck where she saw Michael, Ozz, and Tim at the wheel.

Michael smiled, inclining his head that told Em he was grateful she was up and about. "We are just one more day away from Tia's. We past Tortuga this morning," he informed her.

Em nodded, pleased, and then turned to Ozz. "How are we on the rum supply?" she demanded. She was just itching for a bottle right now. As if he had read her mind, Tim suddenly was holding out to her a half-full bottle of rum, while the other hand held onto the steering wheel. Em's eyes widened in surprise as she took the bottle in her hands. Her eyes met those of Tim's for a fraction of a second before he turned away to yell out orders to the crew. There were dark circles under Tim's eyes which suggested that sleeping down in the cargo hold had not been restful.

Well, we can't have that. "Michael, take the wheel," Em said suddenly. "Tim, come with me to my quarters." Without a word from the both of them, although she did get some strange looks from both Ozz and Michael, Michael and Tim switched places and Em was soon leading Tim into her quarters.

"Close the doors," Em told Tim and walked towards her desk. She set the bottle down on her desk. She looked up and saw Tim was not looking at her, but what she knew was at her journal lying wide open upon the center of her desk. With her hand, she reached over and closed her journal softly. Tim instantly trained his eyes on her, and Em saw the calculating look before it disappeared to be replaced with a look of confusion.

"You shall be sleeping back with the rest of the crew," Em told him.

Tim's eyes widened and he took a step back as if he had been hit. "Why, cap'n?" he asked. His heart was thumping hard in his chest. Was she finally having a change of heart?

Em looked at him gravely. "I wouldn't want my skipper to be dead from lack of sleep, now would I?" she told him and walked up to him until she was three feet apart. She raised a hand and cupped Tim's smooth chin. There was a small cleft starting to form. She noted how pale he was and how clammy his skin felt. "Not dead, indeed," she murmured to herself. Her eyes widened when one of Tim's hands grabbed hold onto the one holding his chin while his other hand made for her other. Tim held her hands tight as she struggled to escape from his clutches.

Tim leaned down, quickly closing the space between them. Em turned her head away and felt his warm breath upon her neck. "You love me. Admit it," Tim whispered huskily. Em tried pushing him off of her, but in reply, Tim backed her up until she felt her desk edge hitting her buttocks. "No! I do not love you, you blaggard! I never will!" she yelled. "Let go of me you knave! I can have you marooned on some deserted island full of cannibals without a moment's hesitation if you do not let me go this instant!" she swore.

And then Tim let her go, almost regretfully. Em rubbed her wrists and glared hatefully at him. 

Tim looked down at her, his expression full of torture. "Why? Am I so vile to you that you would still love a pirate that had left you for nothing?" he asked her softly.

Em pushed him away, sending him once again sprawling onto the Persian rug. "You don't know _anything_, boy!" she spat venomously. "You were not there, not in my shoes to see Jack go! Leave me now! That's right, get out now!" Em pointed a dainty hand towards her doors.

Tim scrambled to his feet and quickly walked towards the doors. Just inside the doorframe, he turned back to Em with a sad and almost angry look. "You _will_ one day come to accept that I love you," he vowed to her.

Em gave him an icy look. "I _have _accepted that you love me. It's me who has not accepted that Jack has given up on me. He WILL come back to me!" she exclaimed fervently.

Tim sent her a dark look before slamming the door shut.

Em closed her eyes for a moment and took in deep breaths. Slowly she regained her calm. Walking around her desk, she took up the bottle half full of rum and took a big swig out of it. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Em threw the now empty bottle through the open window next to her chair and sat down heavily at her desk. She ran her hands slowly over the worn leather cover of her journal before she opened up the page she last left off and began to read.

Michael, like the rest of the crew, had heard Em and Tim's shouting match in the Captain's Quarters and proceeded to pointedly avoid Tim's eyes as he stormed back to the poop deck. There, he started walking back and forth behind Michael, muttering darkly to himself while Ozz watched with interest next to him.

Ozz leaned over to Michael and whispered, "You'd think he'd 'ave accepted by now that our bonny cap'n doesn't want 'im."  
Michael smiled sadly. "It's always the same story, mate. They always lust for what they cannot have."

"You'd think that after all I have gone through for her, even almost dying, that she would accept me!" Tim suddenly yelled out to the sky.

"Here, take the wheel," Michael told Ozz and turned around to face Tim. "Tim, you've got to understand that you weren't there when Jack was with us, however short a time that was," Michael tried to explain.

Tim rounded on him like a caged lion wanting to be free again. "Don't you tell me that rubbish again!" Tim yelled. "I wasn't there! Big deal! That was two years ago when that all happened and she should accept that ol' Captain Jack Sparrow isn't coming back for her!"

"Aye, Cap'n Em can be a wee daft in the 'ead sometimes, but the lass does 'ave her 'eart in the right place," Ozz told him over his shoulder.

Michael nodded in agreement. "None of us know exactly why Jack left, but it must have been a good enough reason to keep Em hoping and loving him."


	4. Falling for Jack

Entry 5  
We're taking it slow in sailing the waters that pass through the massive islands of Cuba and Hispaniola on our way to Santiago. The waters here are treacherous because the current is very strong, likely enough to make any poorly navigated ship crash into the islands by mistake or even send the ship into Davy Jones' locker.

It's been two days since we left Tortuga, restocked with lots of rum. Good thing because Jack has an incredible appetite for it. That man must also have a bladder made of steel, too. Speaking of Jack, I seem to be seeing more of him than what is considered normal for whether if it's in the cargo hold, the poop deck, or the main deck, he's always there chatting loudly with one of my crew members while sending me many smiles.

I fear that he might be trying to seduce me. I also fear that I might be already on my way to being seduced by him. There have been a few rare times over the last two days when Jack and I have acted very chummy, joking around and trading stories of past adventures. It's those rare times when I actually find that I am starting to _fancy_ him. Of course, then the moments get ruined whenever he tries to lay his hands on me or on some even rarer occasions, gives me a quick kiss upon my lips. In front of my crew no less!

Oh, he is daring, that Jack Sparrow. I cannot keep from admitting that. He is like the sea itself, but not without warmth, I'll admit. I cannot keep from falling for his eyes, especially that twinkle that seems to be reserved only for me. Am I turning mad? Or even worse, soft? God's boots, I hope not, but how can any girl refuse someone as suave as Jack? Well, I'll see if I'll be that first.

* * *

Entry 7  
I have had an unexpected and, I must admit, rather exciting encounter with Jack today.  
The beginning of the day was the same as the rest, usual routine, usual hubbub on deck and under. I rose up before dawn to watch the sunrise atop the crow's nest along with Jack, who had taken to sleeping up there if the weather permitted it. Then once the sun had risen above the horizon, I bid Jack a good morning before going down to wake up the crew if any haven't waken up yet.

It is by Jack and my own agreement that we are less than a day away from Santiago. So we should be docking at the port by tomorrow morning at least. We are past the most dangerous parts of the seas in this area and everyone could see the southern coast of Cuba from the starboard side.

Everything was running very smoothly, and even I didn't hear much of a peep from Jack. Actually, now that I recall, I don't think he tried to be wherever I am today. Soon enough, the day passed quickly and the sun was just setting. We had not reached Santiago, but then there was always tomorrow.

Taking my leave to my quarters, and giving Michael full instructions to watch the crew and The Raven, I left the poop deck and walked down the stairs towards my quarters. Upon opening the doors, I immediately found the reason why Jack had been around much today. Jack was sitting at my desk, legs propped up on the desk top while in his hands he held my journal! Yes, this journal! His slimy hands had been all over it and he was reading its content!!

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" I shrieked and pointed my finger at him.

Jack didn't even seem to hear me at first, or else, he didn't want to hear me. He merely licked his thumb, flipped another page of my journal, and continued on reading.

"Get your filthy hands off that this instant!" I yelled as I slammed the doors behind me and then strode swiftly up to him. Only my oak desk separated him and me from plunging my sword through his chest.

Jack chose that time to look up from where he was reading and smiled up at me. I could see that familiar twinkle in his eyes. For a moment, an unfamiliar feeling swept me up, sending queer fluttering sensations in my gut. I watched as Jack took off his legs from my desk and stood up from my chair, never breaking eye contact with me once. He still held my journal in his hands.  
"So you find me _fanciful_, do you, Emelia darling?" Jack asked. He sent me a most engaging smile that was supposed to reel me to him, make me fall into his strong arms while I professed my undying love for him.

Well I certainly did not.

That engaging smile took on an opposite effect for me, while to any other girl they would have swooned. Instead of that light-hearted, cheery smile, I saw instead a wide smirk full of self satisfaction from finding and reading about my most inner deep thoughts and of my point of views during our fights that I have recorded. Believing this to be so enraged me even further.  
I took my sword from my belt and held the sharp blade point at his neck. "Hand me my journal now," I hissed. "Or you'll never get to captain the Black Pearl again."

For a second, worry had flitted across Jack's fine features and his smile seemed to fade a little at the corners. Yet, somehow he recovered his morale and he raised his hands up, my journal in his left hand. "You want this, love?" he asked lightly and even shrugged carelessly. "Then, _you can have it!_" With that, Jack threw my journal high in the air, and while my sword point had moved away from his neck as I moved to catch my journal, Jack drew out his own sword.

I heard the scrape of the metal blade as I caught my journal and instinctively swung my sword. It clashed with Jack's sword a mere foot away from my neck. I glared at him even as I slowly set 

my journal on the desk top.

Jack wore a sheepish look upon his face. "Oh, whoops," he said airily.

"I am going to castrate you," I said furiously and swung my sword at him.

"Now, now, wait a moment!" Jack cried as he ducked under my blade. He crawled out from under my desk, and then tried to crawl from under my legs. "Can't we just talk about you and me, Emelia?"

I swung around and pointed my sword at his head. "We can talk after I'm done un-manning you!" I bellowed. My eyes widened when I heard a click below me. I looked down and saw in Jack's other hand his hand gun, pointed at my stomach. Jack smiled up at me, his body in between my legs. Evidently, he was enjoying this little position we've found ourselves in.

"It's a draw, love," he told me happily. "You try slicing me, and I shoot."

I ground my teeth in frustration. "Yes, I know that," I replied irritably.

"Well then you must know that I have the upper hand here since my bullet is much faster than your fine blade," Jack added. Jack was right. I was virtually his captive. He threw his sword over to the reclining couch that hid the hatch and with his free hand while the other still pointed the gun at me, proceeded to take his precious time sliding out from under me and getting back to his feet.

I felt myself blush angrily at this precarious position I had managed to get myself in. To think, I was actually at the mercy of Jack Sparrow! That last thought seemed to make me snap because I demanded, "Are you done yet, Jack Sparrow?"

Jack brushed off dust from his clothes and then smiled down at me. Being this close to him made me realize how short I truly was. It made me feel insecure and vulnerable at the moment. "Well I believe I am. However, I have two conditions before I let you go," he told me and winked.

I didn't like that wink, but said anyways, "I'm listening."

He shifted his weight to one side and slowly moved his gun point over my body as he spoke. "Well first off, whenever you mean to use my full name, you must say my full, full name. Captain Jack Sparrow." I rolled my eyes but nodded anyway. "Second," he continued, and he 

seemed to step closer to me. I tightened my grip on my sword, although it was no longer pointing at him. "Whenever you try to or have thoughts of doing me bodily harm, I want you to kiss me instead."

My eyes widened at his outrageous proposition. "Never!" I cried. "How dare you think that I would agree to something such as that! I should call my men and they shall-!" And then I gasped in surprise, for Jack had suddenly dropped his gun and pulled me into his arms. He wrapped his arms so tight around me, pinning my arms to my sides. I let go of my sword by accident and heard it land on the ground next to us. I thrashed my head around, trying to lessen his hold on me but to no avail. "Let go of me you bast-!" I was cut off when Jack quickly pressed his lips in mine, silencing me very effectively. I closed my eyes instinctively, and felt that strange feeling again sweeping over me.

Then as quickly as he had kissed me, Jack moved back his head and smiled down at me. "Now, does that feel better that trying to kill me?" he asked.

I snapped my eyes open and opened my mouth in anger. "How dare you seduce me! I shall feed you to the sharks!" I yelled. I could have said more but Jack sighed and then kissed me again. My heart was racing so fast that I thought it would soon break down form exhaustion. Why did he make me feel this way? But oh, his kisses were heaven! I loved the feel of his strong arms around me, I did. So eventually, I softened up and put my hands upon his hips. Jack took that as a signal to go further and expertly pried my lips open with his own and began exploring my mouth like an eager pirate looking for treasure.

"_Jack_," I moaned into his mouth. My tongue met his and they swirled around in our mouths, although it was apparent that Jack was the dominant one. His arms lessened their hold around me, allowing me to slowly bring my hands up to his muscular chest while his own hands found my buttocks. I let out a squeal of surprise when I felt him squeeze my buttock cheeks.

That sound simply amused him and Jack away from me, breaking the kiss and chuckling. His hands held onto my shoulders for I was actually swooning. He looked me square in the eyes. "Was that really good for you, love?" he asked.

I smiled almost helplessly. "Why did you stop?" I asked weakly. I wanted more. Simple as that. He had stoked the fires of my virgin heart, for I really was still a virgin, despite having been ready for true womanhood for a long time now.

Jack seemed to have sensed it too, for he swept me up in his arms and kissed me once more, blowing me away. When he put me down, he said, "I hope you remember the two conditions I have made to you in exchange for your freedom."

Whatever bliss I had felt a minute ago had been replaced by annoyance. "Fine, fine," I told him and waved my hand towards the door. Jack gave me a flourishing mock bow before retrieving his sword and gun. His black tricorn hat that had fallen off as we had been kissing lay at my feet. I bent over and picked it up. Jack stretched out his hand to take it, but I ignored his hand and walked up to him. Reaching up, I placed his hat atop his head and smiled softly at him. I made it like I was about to kiss him but at the last moment, I turned around and walked back to my oak desk, standing beside it with my hand on my journal.

Jack shook his head and smiled once more before turning towards the doors. He stopped for a moment and then spun back, holding up a finger. "I seemed to have forgotten something," he said and quickly walked towards me. Once more, he brought me into his arms, soundly kissed me which I returned his gesture in kindness. And before I knew what happened next, I was alone in my quarters as the doors closed with a snap. Jack had gone; and like the pirate he was, had taken a small piece of my heart with him.

Here it is, in my own journal that Jack has read, I admit to be falling for Captain Jack Sparrow.


	5. The Fountain of Youth and Tia Dalma

"Land ho, captain!" Michael shouted down from atop the crow's nest.

"Steady as she goes men!" Tim immediately began barking orders to the crew. They would land The Raven on the beach, and the task needed much concentration with all hands on deck. "Witherstrum, pull that rope and raise the main sail higher! We need to catch as much wind to help us get on land!" Tim turned to Em, who stood next to him with watching as the coastline of Pelegosto Island drew nearer. "What say you about the sheets, captain?" he asked.

Em remembered that they had still not taken off the cloths covering their ship's name and that their flag, a red skull with crossbones in front of a black background with the letter "M" on the top left corner, still had not been raised. "Leave them," she ordered after a moment. "We must stay as incognito as much as possible."

Tim looked at her for a second longer than was needed before nodding and returning back to shouting orders. They had not made up ever since yesterday when they had fought, but that didn't mean they could completely ignore each other. They had a ship and her crew to consider.

Em breathed in deeply the rich salt air and almost felt at peace. The wind whipped at her long hair and blew it in all directions. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel Jack's hands roaming all over her skin again like they have done so many times in the past. She still stayed up until twilight reading her old journal entries, and with some tears and watery smiles, she also reminisced about other happy times she had had with Jack in the past.

With not much difficulty, they manage to safely land their ship on the beach with no apparent damage whatsoever. The sun was high up in the sky by now by early afternoon, and despite the winds, the temperature was rising high. But smiling broadly, Em walked down the stairs and onto the main deck, calling all hands on deck. When everyone was gathered around, Em addressed her crew. "Alright me hearties, I know that you all have been told that we're visiting Tia Dalma to see if she has a remedy for my back, but I must confess to you (being the honest captain I am) that there is a far more serious reason why I must see her." Em paused for a moment as she walked up and down the length of the main deck. Her crew's eyes were trained upon her, following her every movements. She stopped and turned her attention back to them.

"Now, who could tell me if they know who Juan Ponce de Leon is?" Em scanned her crew mates and saw that, aside from Michael, no one knew who the Spanish explorer was. "Juan Ponce de Leon is a Spanish explorer who tried looking for the famed fountain of youth." Em heard the soft, excited murmurs amongst her crew and smirked. She continued, "I know where the location of it may be. For I have _this!_" Reaching into her coat, Em produced a folded map. It was much worn out, the edges frayed by what seemed to be from lots of use.

"Where d'ya finds something like that?" one person from her crew asked excitedly.

Em chuckled. "Well, I had acquired it two years ago during that little trip around the Bahaman Islands I made with Jack." She winked, earning a round of chortles from those who knew what she was really talking about and a cold, jealous glare from Tim who stood on the top steps leading up to the poop deck. "Jack and I had encountered a few agents from the Company-" at the name, every one of the men hissed or booed "-who drove us away from our boat and to some of the uninhabited islands. In one of them, we spotted a small cave where we hid to keep from capture. By and by, we discovered there was treasure there, making me and Jack-and of course all of you-rich!" Em added which earned her a rowdy applause by her crew. "There, I also happened to find this map and kept it hidden from Jack, for I do know how greedy he gets, especially if it's about becoming immortal!" The whole crew broke out in a roar of cheer at the prospect of never dying by a mere drink of the magical water from the mythical fountain.

"Hold! If ye had this here map to show us te way, why 'ave we got tah go to Tia Dalma's? Ozz shouted above the din. Everyone instantly shut up and looked towards their captain.

Em smirked. "Because, my dear sea scums, I must ask Tia if there is a curse upon the fountain. You wouldn't want to become cursed like the previous crew mates of the Black Pearl before Jack reclaimed his ship, did ya mates?" she asked them all. Without waiting for an answer, Em put on her tough face and began at once to issue orders. "Now, Michael and Ozz will accompany me to Tia's place. Tim shall be in charge of you wet dogs and make sure you all are cleaning up The Raven. I don't want to find out later on that we had overlooked a hole in the lower decks, do I?"

The crew shook their heads quickly, knowing her wrath well if she ever found there had been neglect on The Raven. Em looked up at the main mast where a frail looking man in his late 50s stood atop the sail beam. "Mr. Drummond!" she called up to him.

"Aye, captain?" His strong voice carried down to her, despite his age.

"You'll be keeping watch for any of our brethren pirates," she yelled up at him.

Em then seemed to scan the crew below him with her eyes as if looking for someone. "Godsworth! Briggen! Show yourselves!" she barked.

"Aye, aye cap'n!" Two men stepped out from the huddle to Em's left and saluted at her.  
She turned to them. "You two will fix the loose floorboard on the upper deck," she told them sternly.

Briggen looked confused. "What loose board, cap'n?" he asked her. Godsworth looked at him with wide eyes, seeming to know something his companion didn't and took a few steps back as did some of the others around the man.

Em lifted her left foot high in the air and brought it down hard atop the deck. The board where her foot stomped on sprang up and hit Briggen under the chin, throwing him back into his fellow crew mates and instantly knocking him out. "That loose board, ya landlubber," Em replied gruffly. "Godsworth!"

"Aye!"

"Wake him up and then start fixing that board!" she ordered him and then turned away. She was met face to chest with Michael and face to face with Ozz on her other side. In the background, Tim was now shouting orders to the crew, but they were totally ignored by the trio. "We must bring down the rowing boat," she told them and started for a large object covered completely by a dirty canvas. Em pulled it off, revealing the small row boat large enough to fit at least six people. With Michael's and Ozz's help, they manage to bring it down the ship and into the water. Using a rope Em had tied to a peg jutting out from the ship side, they slithered down it and into the boat.

With Ozz and Michael each rowing and Em at the front guiding them with a lantern, they all made their way up the river flowing inland. Soon, the light from the sun overhead dimmed as the trees on both sides of the narrow river grew more and more in numbers and their droopy branches tickled the cool, clear water. Further up the river, the trio saw a few houses built into the much stronger trees with poles attached underneath here and there, which signaled that they were close. Soon enough, they had reached the end of the river where a wooden house much larger than the others stood atop the water. As they docked next to the small walkway stretching out from the house, Em struck the lantern into the water so it was stuck there then proceeded to tie their row boat to the dock.

"Look lively boys," she told her two friends as they stepped out of the boat and made their way up the front steps. Em pushed the front door and stepped inside. She was immediately hit with a powerful pungent smell that sent her senses reeling. She heard Michael cough from behind her.

"Damn, Tia must be cooking something again," she heard him mutter to Ozz.

Em smiled. Tia wasn't that famous amongst them for her cooking which usually included some kind of alligator. Em looked around at the crowded, yet still spacious room. Various bottles filled with who knows what hung on ropes from the ceiling. Junk, furniture, and voodoo things like pin-filled wax dolls lined the heavily laden shelves.

"Ah, Emelia Kraven!" a thickly-accented Jamaican voice belonging to a familiar female floated down to their little group from the stairs directly across the room from them. They looked up the stairs and saw an olive-skinned woman of short height walking regally towards them. Her dress was vibrantly colored with dark colors and light, full of worn out frills on cuffs that reached up 

to Tia's forearms. Her full breasts were pushed up by the tight bodice, giving men like Ozz for example a good view of them. Her light brown skin glistened from sweat and moisture from living above the river. Tia Dalma smiled at her visitors, revealing teeth that were stained blue from the berries she loved to eat. Her waist-length hair, a little shorter than Em's own, was even wilder than Em's, full of dregs that held beads.

Em smiled at her old friend and stepped forward to receive the hug Tia was giving her. She sense Tia had seen Ozz for the next moment, Em was being pushed out of the way and Tia was walking over to the Irish pirate.

"Ahh, you have brought Oswald with you," she purred and stroked Ozz's pale cheek with one delicate hand. Ozz grinned at her and his arm snaked around her small waist intimately. Michael, forgotten, walked over to Em and stood next to her, watching this little reunion between the former lovers. Tia giggled into Ozz's ear before turning around at the other two of her almost forgotten guests. "You have come here for two reasons," she said more than asked. Pulling out of Ozz's arm, which he made his silent protest by grimacing, Tia Dalma walked up to Em and looked her up from head to foot. "What is me payment?" Tia asked as she eyed Em.

Em smirked. "You can _have_ Ozz," she told her. They both turned to Ozz who had a curiously excited look on his face.

Tia turned her head to Em. "For how long?" she asked slyly.

Em laughed. "This day, and then he has to be returned to me intact tomorrow," she half joked.  
Tia laughed too. "Ah, a good enough bairgan. Now, what be your reasons for coming here, Emelia?" Tia was straight to the point, and looking at Em with amusement in her eyes as if she almost knew what she was about to be asked.

"The first one is about my back," Em started, but before she even finished her sentence, Tia had left her spot next to Em and was bustling into the back room that was her kitchen. Em, Michael, and Ozz strained their necks trying to look at what Tia Dalma was doing. Then above the usual odor coming from Tia's kitchens, a strong smell that closely associated with that of cloves and ginger reached their nostrils, and Tia was back carrying a small bottle full of green liquid. She thrust it in Em's hands while explaining, "I have made somethin' to treat your hurting back. It shall be fully healed in three days if you keep putting this potion on your back every night before going to bed."

Em nodded obediently. "My gratitude Tia," Em told her and passed the bottle into Michael's hands. "Now for my other reason for coming here-" Em produced the folded map she had shown her crew and gave it to Tia.

Tia Dalma slowly unfolded the map and scanned what was written inside. Ozz walked up to her and curiously looked at the map from over her shoulder. Tia's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she studied the map. Finally, she looked up at Em. "And what do you want to know about the Fountain of Youth?" she inquired. From the first look Tia had seen of Em as she stepped inside her home, Tia knew something had happened to her that set the determined look about her features. She did not want to know why Em wanted to find it, for it was for her own reasons she was sure, but she did have a feeling this young female pirate had a bad touch of death that she never wanted to experience again.

"First, I want to know that the map is genuine," Em told her.

Tia nodded without another look at the map. "It is," she replied.

Em nodded. "Second, I want to know if there are any particular curses upon the fountain," Em said, eyebrows rising.

Tia looked back down at the old, worn piece of paper with a contemplative look. A minute of silence and she looked back up at them with a warm smile. "No, there be not," she told them.  
Em, Michael, and Ozz each let out a relieved breath that they had been holding. The immense relief they felt must have looked so comical on their faces that Tia threw her head back and laughed. "I may have said that there be no carses, but I didn't say that there would be no perils that should accompany you all," she warned them.

Em smirked as well as Michael. Ozz, however, seemed a little worried.

"Perils we can do, but curses, we won't dare take the chances," Em told her.

A knowing look crossed Tia's face at that moment. "Ahh, you be talking about the Black Pearl and her carsed captain and crew before your old lover Jack Sparrow took her back," Tia said.  
Em was taken aback from the unexpected mention of Jack's name but recovered quickly. "He will come back to me," Em muttered under her breath. Tia heard this and gave Em a smile that seemed so hide something, but Em just couldn't figure it out.

"I can see Jack Sparrow coming back," Tia told her and shook her head sympathetically. This one's heart was burdened heavily because of the notorious pirate. Tia could feel a strong aura emitting from her female friend.

Em shook off Tia's sympathy and looked at Ozz. "You'll be staying here of course," she said more than asked.

Ozz smiled at Tia Dalma and nodded without taking his eyes off of her.

Em rolled her eyes in a good in a good naturedly way and turned to Michael. "C'mon mate, I think we can manage without him." Michael nodded and chuckled. Em's potion that Tia gave her was still in his hands. The two best friends bid goodbye to Ozz and Tia (who did not seem to have heard) before walking out the front door and back to the row boat. Michael carefully placed Em's potion into his satchel before climbing into the boat. He held out his hand for Em to take, but Em pointedly ignored it and climbed in by herself. Michael rolled his eyes and proceeded to untie the rope holding them to Tia's little walkway as Em took back the lantern from where it stood in the water. With Michael taking up both oars, they sailed back to The Raven.


	6. Mr Drummond and the Intruders

As Em and Michael traveled farther down the river, the number of wooden houses started to diminish by the river banks. The air was cool to the skin and both hoped that the scorching temperature they had left at the mouth of the river was now lower. With all the tree canopies blocking out much of the sun light, it was hard to tell how long they had been in Tia Dalma's home.

"Hey Emelia?"

Em jumped slightly in surprise, rocking the boat from side to side at her jerked action.

"Oy!" Michael cried out in alarm and steadied the boat again with the oars.

"Ah, sorry mate," Em apologized as her free hand held onto the side of the boat. "You frightened me there for a moment. What do you want?" she added.

Michael looked over his shoulder at her, with a curious look on his face. Since when was Em frightened that easily?

Em saw the look and sighed. "I was thinking about Jack," she mumbled. "And what Tia said about her seeing him come back . . ." Em trailed off.

Michael nodded slightly and turned back to the front. His calm voice drifted back to her. "Well, I was wondering why Tia didn't ask us why we wanted to find the Fountain of Youth," he explained.

Em answered immediately, with a tone full of mystery. "Well, I believe that she already knows why." They said nothing more, each lost in their own thoughts. However previously she was thinking about Jack and Tia's words, Em was now thinking about Tim. Inwardly, she was very angry at him for loving her when he plainly knew that her heart didn't belong to any man but Jack. No matter that he left her. Em blinked back the tears prickling at her eyelids quickly. She couldn't show anymore weakness, well, at least in front of other people. But when she is back in the confines of her Captain's Quarters, she could read her old journal and bawl out her sorrows all she wanted.

When they finally rowed out of the river and into the vast ocean, Em and Michael could see the orange sun slowly drifting down the horizon to their left, making them realize how long they actually had stayed with Tia.

"Well, I guess we're staying here for the night, right?" Michael asked Em over his shoulder as he rowed them back to their ship. Em thought she saw a glimpse of a teasing smile across her best friend's face before he turned back to the front.

Em chuckled and looked at her ship. It seems that Mr. Drummond had alerted everyone that they were returning for she saw a few of her men, including Tim, waving wildly at them. Em and 

Michael reached their ship and someone threw the ladder down for them.

"How did everything go?" Em asked Tim as he helped her onto the deck. Her fellow pirates grinned at her as they passed by doing their various chores. Em was pleased to see as she stomped on a particular spot on the deck that Godsworth and Briggen had done a very good job fixing the loose board.

Tim kept a tight hold on her hand and guided her up the stairs and onto the poop deck where the large steering wheel was located. "Everything went quite smoothly, captain," he reported.

Em noticed her hand in his and made to pull it away, but Tim's grip just tightened on it. "Let go," she quietly ordered him, with much force in those words.

Tim gave her a small smile, despite the underlying threat, and actually kissed her hand softly before letting it go, feeling a pang of regret as he did so. "We had discovered a few holes on the bottom deck and had repaired them right away along with removing the water that had leaked in," he continued with his report as if nothing had happened. It was obvious that he had forgiven her for their slight the day before and wanted to be friendly again.

Not _too_ friendly, Em thought wryly. She nodded approvingly once his report was finished. "I'm happy to hear everything went smoothly, then," she told him. Em turned around for a moment. She shaded her eyes from the sun rays, however weak they were now and watched the sun slowly set. For a moment, Em almost lost herself in a very distant memory; a sad one that reminded her strongly of why her heart was now broken.  
Em shook her head out of her reverie and calculated at how late it was. "I think our good men need a rest," she told Tim from over her shoulder. "They have worked hard this day, I assume. We set off tomorrow once Ozz comes back from Tia's."

Tim nodded, knowing why Ozz was with Tia Dalma, and turned around to address the crew. "Alright, mates! The captain says you all deserve a good long rest before tomorrow, for we set sail for immortality!" The crew roared with vigor before departing down to their quarter's two decks below.

Em turned around and looked up at the crow's nest. She squint her eyes and saw Mr. Drummond looking down at her inquiringly. Em smiled and gave him a signal with her hand that told him he could also come down.

When the frail man had come down to be soon replaced by Tim, he hobbled over to Em and tipped his woolen hat to her. "Bless ye, lassie. I can but hope that I may turn young again with the waters of the fountain," he told her humbly.

Em smiled. She had known this old man ever since her young childhood in the island of Barbados, known for its excellent trade. "It should be right with what the legend tells," she replied.

Mr. Drummond threw back his head and cackled with happiness. He bid her a good night before hobbling to the crew's sleeping quarters.

She heard footsteps from behind and turned around, coming face to chest with Michael. He gave her a warm, loving smile that only cherished childhood friend would give. He stopped in front of her and looked down to meet her eyes. "You really are a good captain to them," he told her with a chuckle.

"It's 'cause I don't want to end up crewless," she shrugged, acting like she didn't care.

Michael smirked. He knew her through and through. That wasn't her main reason. She loved her crew mates because they were her family. "So, what was that I saw between you and Tim?" Michael switched subjects. He saw Em blushing-_hold on!_ Blushing?! Michael had to make a double take, but he still saw the soft red color rise in Em's cheeks. Michael's eyes widened. "Um, Em, you know you're blushing right?" he asked hesitantly.

Em thought the temperature had risen higher all of a sudden, though the sun was halfway down now. Why was she blushing anyways? Em wondered angrily. The sudden heat wasn't the only thing rising. Then out of nowhere, Tim's face seemed to swim into her thoughts. Em growled.  
Michael took a step back in alarm. "Pardon?" he asked.

Em shook her head slowly, dispelling the handsome face. No. She couldn't. Not now, not ever. Jack had commandeered her heart, so she had nothing left to give; like she was ever going to give her heart to Tim if she did have it, anyways. "It's nothing," she huffed. Em started walking down the steps. "You might want some rest too, you know," her sad voice drifted up to Michael who was left standing to look after his best friend's retreating back.

High up in the crow's nest, hidden from wandering eyes, Tim saw the exchange between Emelia and Michael. He couldn't hear their words, but it was easy enough to tell from their actions that Michael had said something offensive to Em. Tim's green eyes watched as Em walked slowly back to her Captain's Quarters and sighed longingly to himself. He knew, as he had been repeatedly told by the rest of the crew, that he could have any other girl that he wanted, but no. He wanted Em. And not because she repeatedly rejected every one of his advances, not because every time they fought she looked utterly breathtaking, but she struck something in his heart that no girl ever and would ever do.

It made him so furious that she would still hold her heart to a rogue pirate that had left her. Tim thought Jack Sparrow was a fool to have left something so worthwhile, someone like Emelia Kraven, and just never come back. Well, Tim was determined to win Em's love and devotion, no matter the costs.

Tim looked at the river that ran inland; the river that led to Tia Dalma. Tim had never met Tia, for Em made him watch the crew, but he now wondered if he could pay Tia a little visit right now and ask her about a little potion he had in mind-a potion to make any person totally in love with the first person they see . . .

And then Tim heard them. The dull but loud thuds of big things (small boats most likely) bumping the right side (starboard) of The Raven. Tim leaned over the crow's nest and knew his suspicions were correct. He saw at least two small row boats floating next to the part of The Raven that was still floating in the water. But, his suspicions had not made him prepared for the man who was standing up at the front of the first row boat examining, but not touching, the sheets covering the ship's identity.

Tim's heart thundered from panic, from the thought of people trying to invade the ship, and from another reason that Tim couldn't quite grasp at the moment, as he moved back from the edge before he was spotted. He looked towards Em's quarters and saw the lights were all extinguished. From the rising moon that illuminated everything now, Tim could see faint outlines of shadows across the curtains hanging behind the doors and knew, as he slowly drew out his sword, that Em had everything under control.

* * *

The Black Pearl was drawing closer to Pelegosto Island. Captain Jack Sparrow had already been alerted by his first man, Gibbs, that they had already spotted the island rising up from the horizon. In the island's rise was the sun's fall as the night silently swept in along with the sliver blade of the moon.

Jack sat at his great wooden desk, a map of the world upon it as well as an empty bottle that had contained rum. The strong effects of the alcohol had not affected Jack yet, being proudly able to hold his drinks until at least the third bottle.

He sighed heavily and sat back in the cushy armchair, propping his legs on top of the desk and placing his hands on his lap. He closed his eyes and rested against the rocking of the ship. He was almost falling asleep when the ship suddenly gave a rather nasty lurch to the left, nearly throwing Jack off of his chair. "What in the-?" he spluttered and held on tight to the arm rests, dropping his legs back to the ground. "Can't they keep her running long enough to get me some rest?" he muttered darkly and shook his head from drowsiness. Jack swayed a moment from the rocking motions of the ship (and maybe the rum as well) and caught himself before he had a chance to fall flat on his face. The ship gave another lurch, this time to the right, and Jack fell this time onto the floor. Swearing colorfully under his breath as he rolled to the other side of the room, he hit the wall with a distinct thud and had the air taken away from his lungs.

The violent rocking stopped as fast as it had started and Jack warily looked around his quarters before helping himself up with the help of a nearby table. Shaking his hair back, Jack picked up his hat that had fallen off of his desk and plopped it onto his head, over the red bandana. He shook his head slightly again and noticed that he was looking at someone who looked identical to him.

Jack blinked and took a closer look. He was looking at a grimy mirror that hung next to the window and smirked at his reflection. "Oh," he said and laughed a little. He took the time to rearrange his clothes and as he was fixing his heavy coat, he glimpsed a glint of gold in the mirror. Jack looked up and fixed on the object. His eyes widened in recognition and his hand immediately went to the thing hanging down to his chest. Hanging on a thin gold chain was a little pendant of a soaring bird, and in its beak it carried a tiny silver bell that no longer tinkled.

Jack carefully lifted the pendant and studied it for a long time, his dark eyes carrying on a soft, misty look. "I haven't forgotten about you, love," he murmured. His thoughts were on a certain woman that had struck his fancy, and then his heart, nearly two years ago. He sometimes wondered, when he held onto this little necklace as he did now, where she was now, and if she had replaced him in her heart. "I'm sorry," he said sadly to the bird, as if it would come to life in the palm of his hand and send Emelia Kraven his small apology.

Sharp rapping on the door surprised Jack out of his reminiscing, causing him to drop the little pendant back to his chest. Jack cleared his throat quickly and swung around to face the doors as it was opened by Gibbs.

"What's the problem? And why the hell was the ship rocking like that a minute ago?" Jack demanded irritably. "Any damages?"

Gibb brought his hands up and waved them rapidly, saying, "Hold, hold! One at a time, Jack!"

Jack looked abashed. "Well, then?" he asked sarcastically after a moment.

"The rocking was because we nearly hit a rock," Gibbs told him.

Jack raised an eyebrow skeptically. "A rock?" he asked, in a flat sort of tone.

"It was a big one!" Gibbs tried to explain. He seemed to catch himself before he could say anything else stupid in time and shook his head. "Never mind, never mind. We have it under control now, but I came to tell you that we're closer to the island now," he told Jack.

Jack nodded and gestured out for them to step out the room. Jack strode past Gibbs before the middle-aged man could respond and went up the steps. "Anamaria!" Jack called out to the open air. "Ana!"

"Jack."

Jack spurn around and faced Gibbs, who wore a confused expression on his face. "What is it now, mate? And where is Anamaria?" he asked for he had not gotten back a reply from her.

Gibbs took in how flustered his captain seemed. Gibbs felt a little worried, but then chose to not mention it. Yet. Instead, he reminded Jack that Anamaria had left them a month ago after they had "gifted" to her a new ship. "Don't you remember?" he asked.

Jack put a hand on the railing and took a deep breath. "I believe I do. Ooh, must be the rum," he replied and even swayed a little, though the ship was still. Jack then reached into his jacket and pulled out a bronze telescope. He made it longer and looked ahead at the island they quickly approached. He saw the white sand that seemed to almost glow in the feeble moonlight and the waves washing ashore. He looked towards the right, following the beach, and found the river mouth that led inland to Tia Dalma's home. Jack grinned and followed the beach back to where he started and he caught something in the far left side of his telescope. Jack turned to Gibbs and motioned him to come close. "Gibbs, would you take a look 'ere and tell me that it's the rum effecting my eyesight again," he told his first mate and jerked his head over to him.

Gibbs gave him a weird look but obliged his captain's strange orders. He took the telescope into his sea-weathered hands from Jack's jeweled ones and lifted the telescope up to his eye. Squinting with the other, he turned to the direction Jack had been looking at. What he saw on the far left side of the beach made his jaw drop. "It's the ship we had seen back in Port Royal!" he exclaimed and looked over his shoulder where Jack stood.

Jack nodded. "So it wasn't the rum," he mumbled contemplatively and pulled at his two-braided beard in thought. Jack looked back at Gibbs and ordered him to see if the ship was abandoned. Then he seemed to have a change of mind. "Wait, wait! Give it here, I'll check it meself," Jack said quickly and snatched the telescope away.

Gibbs moved out of the way and watched as Jack observed the ship.

"It seems that its crew has abandoned the ship," Jack told Gibbs. There was a trace of glee in his voice, and Gibbs knew Jack was thinking about the left over booty they could find. "Alright," Gibbs said with a nod and a smile. He hitched up his pants. "I'll call all our men to stop the ship here and then assemble on deck."

"You do that, mate," Jack muttered as he looked into his telescope once more. The ship was definitely the one he had seen leaving Port Royal for he recognized the large canvas cloths hanging over the sides of the ship, hiding the name. All the while the sails were tied up since they were not being used. There was no black flag in sight that told Jack that this was a pirate ship, but Jack knew that it was. The ship just gave off a certain feeling that only pirate ships that have seen the ends of the world and back could.

"Alright men, I know that there are few of us, but I need you all to bring down the two biggest row boats we have," Jack told his crew once they were all assembled. His back faced the island in question. Jack looked around and spotted an old man with a white beard and a worn out blue bandana on his head. Jack walked up to him and said, "Cotton mate, I need you to stay here and keep a look out on the Pearl."

Cotton looked up at Jack but said nothing.

Then Jack remembered that Cotton was mute. He looked up amongst the tethers, ropes, and masts. "Where is that bloody bird?" he asked irritably.

"Rawk! Reporting for duty, captain!" Everyone's eyes were now trained on the colorful parrot that flew down from the crow's nest and landed neatly on Cotton's shoulder.

Jack nodded. "Same orders Cotton's, um, parrot," Jack said. The parrot lifted its claw in what looked like a salute. Jack nodded again, taking the time to look from Cotton's emotionless face to the parrot standing as still as the mute it was on, before he turned to his crew.

"Before we-"

"Cap'n! Why don't we land the Pearl on the beach?" someone from the crew asked.

Jack spun on his heel and looked down at Marty, seeing the shine of the moonlight coming from his smooth bald head before the dwarf-small man himself. Standing just three feet tall, Marty didn't look much but that's what made him a surprise during fights.

"Because I rather have us captured by who knows what's on that island and later escape than risk losing and most likely harming the Pearl," he explained tersely.

There was a murmur of assent at his words.

Jack pointed towards the ship and smiled wide. "Take us to the loot, men!" he exclaimed.

Cotton watched forlornly as the two row boats that held the rest of the crew sailed smoothly towards the abandoned ship. He sighed silently at his misfortune at being left behind to watch over the Pearl. But he accepted his orders anyway because he was loyal to Captain Jack Sparrow, who has never steered them into trouble without getting them out of it; with a few cuts and bruises along the way.

Cotton leaned onto the side and breathed the night air deeply. The smooth feathery wings of his parrot brushed his old worn face and comforted him. He took out from his pocket the telescope Gibbs had given him before he had left with the rest of the crew and looked at the row boats. Captain Jack was in the first with his back towards him, standing tall and proud at the front of the row boat while Gibbs directed the other men in the boat to row.

Cotton moved the telescope to their destination to look at the ship himself. It was a fine ship, looking as though it was newly repaired in some parts. Cotton wondered why anyone would leave something as beautiful as this ship.

"Rawk, trouble trouble!" his parrot suddenly cried.

Cotton swiveled the telescope back to the crew, but saw nothing wrong. He looked at his parrot that was silent once more. Trouble? He didn't sense any trouble, nor saw any. Cotton dismissed the warning and went back to observing the ship again. A wind was blowing from the East, nearly knocking the parrot off of Cotton's shoulder. It was also blowing one of the big cloths on the ship. Cotton watched interestedly as the cloth hanging of the stern, or rear, side of the ship began to waver in the wind. A corner of the cloth flipped up for just a second, but it was all the time Cotton needed to immediately know what the name of the ship was.

"Rawk! The Raven, The Raven!!" Cotton's parrot squawked frantically.

Cotton slowly lowered the telescope, his features set in a surprised expression. His mouth dropped slightly open. He knew even as his eyes moved towards the two row boats, whose rowers, first mate, and captain did not see the carved name, that there was to be a world of trouble they were about to step into and he was rightly glad that he had been ordered to stay behind.


	7. Surprise Attack and Counter Attack

Em strode towards her Captain's Quarters and yanked the double doors open, her mind racing. She closed the doors with a sharp snap behind her and leaned onto them, taking slow, deep breathes to calm her racing nerves.

She knew what Michael must be thinking now, because they both usually were on the same line of thought after she avoided something in their conversation. What had really happened back there when Michael mentioned Tim kissing her hand? She blushed. But why? Was it that embarrassing to have Tim kiss her hand? No, of course not because . . . Em placed her left hand over her thumping heart, for she had felt a small pang of pain; it had been soft, a reminder to her that the last and only person to kiss her hand was Jack.

So was she finally warming up to Tim? Or, to her dread, that she was finally moving on from Jack and was developing strong feelings for Tim? Em felt a deep well of sorrow open up at the pit of her stomach, and an unseen, icy hand gripped at her heart at the thought. _No, I won't forget Jack,_ she thought. I _won't_ give up on him. Em rested the back of her head on the doors and closed her eyes, slowly repeating Tia's words about Jack returning in her mind until the unseen hand let go of her heart, but the well of sorrow still stayed.

Em opened her eyes and looked over at her desk. Her old journal lay wide open to the page she was to read tonight. Em pushed herself off the doors and walked silently towards her desk, moving around it and falling into her chair. Making sure to first snuff out her single candle so she could read by the moonlight, as she had done for the last couple of days, Em lifted her journal and began to read.

* * *

Entry 11  
I apologize for not recording anything but lists of cargo supplies for the last few days, but I have been very busy. One reason is because of Jack, for we are arguing about whose ship, the Black Pearl or The Raven, we will use for our joint adventures.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

The day after Entry 7, we finally landed on Santiago. It was Jack who spotted the port first. I woke up early as usual and did my same routines of waking up the crew. I joined Jack, for what seemed like the final time, up the crow's nest to watch the sun rise from the horizon.

We didn't talk about what happened yesterday about me finding him in my office reading my journal. We just watched silently, standing particularly close next to each other and breathed in the morning.

I closed my eyes and let the gusts of the winds fly around and through me, blowing my long hair in all directions. I soon felt Jack close the excess space in between us and lean down to me so that I felt his warm breath on my ear.

"Lovely little rings you have on those ears, love," he whispered and even started to nibble on the part of my earlobe that didn't house a small silver ring piercing. I shivered from the exciting sensation he was giving me and closed my eyes tighter, moving into the warmth his body provided. I felt his strong arms wrap around me and felt so peaceful for that one shining moment.

* * *

Em looked up from those sweet words at a distinguishable sound of two _thumps_ upon the side of The Raven. It couldn't have been Ozz, for not only was it too early to have come back from Tia's, but he only needed one boat. She silently put her journal on the desk and stood up slowly so as not to make any noise to alert the intruders. Em swiftly walked around her desk and with utter care so as not to make much noise, she pushed her reclining couch closer to her desk and opened up the hatch it hid.

Em began descending down the stairs that led to the crew's quarters. Once she had reached the deck, it was quickly apparent to her that no one had heard the bumps against their ship. Em spotted Michael's blonde head immediately and rushed over to him, shaking him forcefully awake.

"Wha-Emelia?" Michael saw his captain's hostile face above him and soon all drowsiness he had felt was replaced by worry. "What's happened?" he demanded.

Em shushed him up and gestured for him to keep his voice level low. "There are intruders trying to board The Raven," she told him quietly, her lips moved rapidly. "Wake up the rest of the crew as quietly and quickly as possible and then you and a few others report to my quarters," she commanded. Em motioned for him with a finger to lean in closer and then whispered some extra instructions. Michael pulled away, already in the act of pulling off the wool blanket, and nodded.

Without another word, Em stood up and spun on her heel, striding back towards the stairs. She left the hatch open for Michael and whomever he was bringing and tiptoed closer to her front doors. Keeping to the side of the right door, Em pulled out a throwing knife out of her wide belt and with the blade she slightly moved the curtains up and peered outside.

Jack flinched as the two row boats bumped loudly onto the side of the abandoned ship. He looked up and saw the bottom carvings under the cloth hanging off the right side of the ship. He couldn't make out the words, but he knew that the ship had two words in its name. He turned around to face his crew, minus Cotton, and ordered them to "take the hooks."

He nodded in approval once everyone held a grappling hook. Gibbs handed Jack the left over hook and rope and grinned. Jack tilted his head forward in a mock little sign of assent. He held out the hook to the side and began swinging it around faster and faster in small circles, a jolly grin almost identical to Gibbs' spreading across his face. "On the count of three, if you gents all will. One . . . two . . . THREE!"

"So everyone's at where they are supposed to be?" Em whispered over her shoulder. Her eyes were still watching the silent deck outside the double doors.

Behind her, Michael and three others nodded.

"Where be Tim? Not still up in the crow's nest, is he?" one of the three men inquired in concern for their skipper.

Em's dark brown eyes rose up and looked towards the crow's nest. Even with the distance between them, Em still managed to catch Tim's eye. "He's still up there," Em murmured, "and he's waiting." She moved away from the door and hid the dagger she held back into her belt. She heard the hums of the other four men's swords being unsheathed along with her own and smirked.

They didn't have long to wait for the warning sign. Soon, the heavy, metallic sounds associated with grappling hooks reverberated throughout the night as the hooks clunked onto the deck. The hooks then began to scrape along the deck to Em and her four other crew mates' left before the hooks caught themselves on various parts of the deck.

"Steady boys," Em whispered, pointing her sword off to the side to give her clear access to the doors before her. Anticipation and adrenaline racing through her veins and pumping rapidly into her heart, she strained her ears in hopes to make out the faint sounds of the intruders climbing the side ship wall. When she heard the first pairs of boots jump onto the deck, she raised her foot and kicked open the door.

Up in the crow's nest, Tim saw the grappling hooks in the intruders' hands and looked quickly towards the double doors leading to the Captain's Quarters. He caught Em's eyes in between the slightly parted curtains and gave her a nod that she wouldn't see.

Out of the corner of his left eye, Tim spotted shadows moving on the deck below, but knew after a moment's pause that they did not belong to the intruders. Turning his head towards the direction he saw the shadows, he then noticed that it was his crew mates silently creeping out from the lower decks and positioning themselves all over the deck to surprise the intruders.

Not wanting to be missing out in this by being a bystander, Tim turned around, eased his body from the crow's nest, and began to carefully climb down the ropes forming a net that led down to the deck. _Everyone_ will be in for an unpleasant surprise, Tim thought grimly as his mouth clamped over the blade of his cutlass, making it easier with his free hands to climb down the net.

He was not even halfway down the net when the intruders began boarding the ship and the two doors leading to the Captain's Quarters burst open.

Jack watched with a grin as he, Gibbs, and the rest of the crew let of the spinning grappling hooks. Twelve grappling sailed high into the air before arcing at their highest point in the sky and landing with many satisfyingly dull _thunks_ onto the ship's deck. As one, they piled onto their individual ropes until their hooks snagged into something. With Jack leading the way, they slowly began their climb up the side of the ship and jumped over the banister.

From just one look, Jack thought that the ship truly was abandoned, but he had only taken three steps on the sea-worn wood before to their left the double doors leading to the Captain's Quarters 

suddenly burst open, and roaring, four men ran out the doors with their cutlasses held high. This seemed to have been a signal of sorts because many other similar battle-cries wrenched away the previous quietness of the night and soon, Jack and his men found themselves surrounded on all sides by swords pointed straight at them.

"Oh bugger," Jack muttered as he lowered his unsheathed sword.

"_Captain Jack Sparrow?_" To Jack's right, stepping away from the rest of the hostile pirates and his and his crew's miraculous savior was a young man with light tan skin, true blonde hair, and eyes as blue as the day sky with an expression of shock across his fine features equal to Jack's once he recognized this man.

"Michael? Michael Turnbull?" Jack questioned and moved a little closer as if to see if this wasn't someone else he had mistake with the first mate of The Raven.

"I think that's enough of the floorboards you intruders have infected," a deep, manly voice snarled from Jack's left. Jack spun around on his heels towards where that voice came from, and like Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, the men moved out of the way to let through a tall handsome man with wild dirt-blonde hair and dark green eyes. His facial features, though normal circumstances would be considered very alluring, was twisted in an angry scowl as he pointed his sword straight at Jack's heart.

"Drop you weapon," Tim commanded. He felt all his crew mates' eyes upon him questioningly, as if wondering why _he_ was the one making the orders and taking control when it was their real captain (who was curiously absent at the moment) that deserved that right, but at that particular moment, while he had the infamous and elusive Captain Jack Sparrow under his mercy, Tim didn't care.

Jack cocked his eyebrow at this scene opening up before him: this blonde scurvy dog who did not have the looks of the captain and the looks his crew were giving him, and then wisely chose not to relinquish his cutlass.

"Well?" Tim growled after a minute of silently waiting. When Jack gave no sign that he would comply, Tim ordered the men to kill them.

Jack and Gibbs backed up into each other as the circle around them and the rest of their crew tightened. The blades of their opponents looked mighty sharp from their point of view as they drew closer. Jack tried looking above the sea of swords for any sign of the "Michael look-alike", but he had disappeared.

_Bugger_, Jack thought disappointingly. He stumbled as he nearly tripped over short Marty. "Sorry mate," Jack mumbled.

"Parley! Parley!" Gibbs suddenly cried, even as his sword blade tried vainly to push away the oncoming swords.

Those words sounded so beautiful to Jack's ears as Jack gave an inaudible sigh of relief and reached over to clap Gibbs' hefty shoulder jovially. "Well done, Mr. Gibbs!" Jack exclaimed and watched as the other crew retreated back, all with a curious look of relief on their faces. Jack turned to the tall arrogant blonde man who now wore a look of scarlet anger across his face. Jack more than waltz up to him and demanded to speak to their captain. "According to the Brethren of the Caribbean code of 'parley' I demand to speak with your captain, and it also states that we are not harmed until I speak with them, mate," Jack added with a sly wink.

"You're looking at the captain," Tim growled defiantly. Angry and confused murmurs reached his ears from his fellow crew mates, and Tim knew he had gone too far with the claim.

"What in Davy Jones' locker is this?" a familiar female voice full of sharpness and anger reached all of the men's ears.


	8. I Hate You

Em kicked open the double doors leading to the deck and let Michael and the three men run out before her, swords blazing for battle and voices pitched high in their battle cries. Soon, the whole deck thundered and rumbled with the dozens of boots pounding as the rest of their hidden crew mates ran out of their hiding places.

"We have them now," Em said happily and unsheathed her sword. Telling from the noise outside her Captain's Quarters, the intruders had been so surprised that they had no chances of trying to fight back.

Em was about to step outside to join everyone when Michael suddenly exclaimed-

"_Captain Jack Sparrow?_"

Em literally felt the breath in her lungs leave her as if a large anvil had dropped onto them and her heart painfully slammed to a halting stop. She took a step back and put her hand on her abdomen just right below her breasts, willing herself to breathe deeply in and out. _Can it really be him . . . ?_ Em wondered hesitantly, as if she had heard wrong. But Em didn't want to imagine that she had heard wrong. However, the deep surprised voice that spoke next confirmed that she had heard right.

"Michael? Michael Turnbull?"

Em closed her eyes and commanded herself to not shed a tear of joy and anger. She was joyful that Jack had finally returned to her, but anger also boiled deep within the pit of sorrow housed in her gut. Why, of all those times during those two years after he had left her, did Jack have to come _now?_

"I _hate_ you, Jack Sparrow," Em whispered, her soft voice heavily laden with distraught.

"Emelia!" Em snapped her eyes open just as Michael burst into the room, blue eyes opened wide with shock and alarm. He stopped in front of her and motioned towards the outside. "What are you doing just standing here, Em?! Tim's giving us orders and acting in front of _everyone_ like _he's_ the captain!" Michael exclaimed. He conveniently left out the fact that Jack was included under the category of "everyone", having seen the look on Em's face just before he had barged in.

Em immediately pushed aside all other thoughts but the ones that included her authority being overruled. The boiling anger that had been festering in the well of sorrow had just overflowed and it showed on her face, for Michael now looked slightly afraid.

Em leaned in towards the open doors and listened to what was happening.

"You're looking at the captain," Tim was growling, a tone of defiance and anger in his voice. Soon, her crew was muttering things like, "not our cap'n." and "Since when did _he _become the boss o' us?" Em straightened her composure and tossing her hair over her shoulders in an angry gesture, she strode out of the room.

"What in Davy Jones' locker is this?" she shouted angrily as she stepped onto the deck, soon joined by Michael. Em placed her hands on her hips and glared most pointedly at Tim who had the grace to look guilty. Em walked up to him, parting her men as she passed by, until she was a few feet away from Tim. Without warning, Em balled up her left fist, reeled in her arm, and punched the tall blonde hard in his gut. She watched with unpitying eyes as he sunk onto his knees, clutching his stomach in pain as he gasped for the breath knocked out of him. He started coughing hard, and then bright red blood dribbled down his chin and dripped onto the wooden floor.

"If I recall very correctly, you are _not_ the captain here. I am," she shouted down at him. "And I know that I did not order _your crew mates_ to do anything!" She watched with satisfaction as Tim flinched with each word that made him look like he was having a bad seizure and that he was also trembling slightly under her blazing eyes. "You and everyone here will know that I shall never forget this," Em snapped. She spun on her heels and walked towards their intruders.

Em's heart nearly cracked from her old wound as she stared up into Jack Sparrow's glittering dark eyes, but she wasn't about to let down her guard yet. Not in front of her men. She stood in front of the twelve men, including Jack, legs shoulder-length apart and arms crossed over her chest, face set in a determinedly tough look as she surveyed her captives.

"Drop all your weapons to the ground," she barked at them.

Jack took a step towards her, intent on trying to negotiate with her, but stopped dead in his tracks once she unsheathed her cutlass and held the point warningly up to his neck. Em gave him a cold look. "Do as I say or there will be none of your pretty words of negotiating," she told him. She was envisioning an impenetrable wall around her beating heart, and knew it was the only thing that kept her from breaking under Jack's heart-wrenching confused and almost hurt look.

Jack's crew was looking at their captain for instructions. Jack sighed heavily and nodded to them to comply with Em's demands. Em sheathed her sword and stepping back, watched emotionlessly as they all removed their swords, daggers, and any other weapon they hid and dropped them to the floor.

Em nodded, satisfied. She looked back at her former lover and beckoned him to step away from the group.

Gibbs leaned over Marty and whispered in Jack's ear, "Ye better be careful Jack. Emelia Kraven is obviously still mad as hell about you leavin' her."

Jack nodded, trying to keep away the worry from his face. Why was Emelia acting so distant from him? Putting on a brave face, he stepped up to Em and tried to act like he had just seen her just yesterday as opposed to two years ago. "'Ello love," he started, but then felt the pistol pointed at his right temple, stopping him from finishing the sentence. Jack's eyes turned towards 

the gun before turning their attention back to Em. This time though, Jack's eyes held the familiar twinkle in their depths, and it nearly made Em cry out at the sudden pang of pain in her heart.

Jack cocked his head to the side, the side away from Em's pistol, and gave her a tilting smile. "You aren't gonna use that on me, Emelia darling," he said confidently.

Em stepped closer to him, lessening the gap between them and applied more pressure on the gun against his head. "No," she whispered for only him to hear and a faraway look appeared for a moment in her eyes before they snapped back to reality. "Not yet, any who," she said this time loudly for everyone to hear. Without looking away from Jack, Em commanded her crew to "show our unwelcome guests why ol' Davy loves the sea so much." She heard the sounds of Jack's crew struggling against her own and then angry shouts before the multiple sounds of splashing rang in her ears.

Forgetting about the pistol for a moment, Jack broke eye contact and spun around in time to see Godsworth and Briggen struggle to toss Gibbs over the side of the ship. "Get yer grimy hands off of him!" Jack said angrily.

For a moment, Godsworth and Briggen looked like they were almost going to do just that, for they had been there when their captain was still "chummy" with him, but after seeing the look on their captain's face did they look away from Jack and managed to toss the portly Gibbs overboard.

Jack wheeled back around to face Em, an annoyed look on his face. It slightly intrigued Em that he was more annoyed than enraged that she had just ordered her crew to throw off his crew into the cold waters below.

"Why in the blazes did you do that for, woman?" Jack demanded. He saw, feeling slightly smug, the look of surprise across Em's face. "Yes love, I _did_ call you 'woman'," he drawled. "What happened to 'parley'?" he demanded.

Em aimed the gun back to Jack's head and smirked, if only to vex him. "To hell with 'parley'," she told him, feeling even smugger than he had felt seeing the look she had on moments before. Em removed the gun from his head, sheathed her cutlass, and turned her back on him. "Follow me," she said over her shoulder.

Jack refused to move even an inch. He was really becoming very annoyed by this attitude she was giving him. What was she trying to prove? That she could break his tolerance for her antics in just a short time by pulling stunts like throwing his men overboard and threatening him with her gun? She was hurting because of him leaving her and never coming back in those two years they last saw each other, but he was still hurting too from the separation from her.

"You heard her, follow her!" Jack felt rough hands seize his arms from behind and immediately began to struggle. He looked over his shoulder and saw the wild dirt-blonde and dark green eyes of the imposter captain.

"Get yer hands off of me!" Jack snapped and tried to throw Green Eyes off.

They both heard a click of the hammer on the pistol that was pointed at them and turned towards the source. Em was standing there with her gun pointed at them menacingly.

"Let go of him now Timmothy McIlrath," Em said slowly, but to anyone that has known her for very long, that person could almost feel the raw anger in those words. "Or I will shoot your brains out and then toss your worthless corpse to the fish," she added through clenched teeth.

Tim swallowed hard, knowing she meant every one of her words, and would keep them too if he dared question her. He slowly let go of Jack Sparrow's arms and moved away. His head was bent down a little so that she could not see his dark green eyes alight with fury at being told what to do, and jealousy, for he saw and felt Em's love for the rogue pirate, even under the cold exterior she was putting up.

Jack tilted his head towards the man named Timmothy and gave him one of his infamous smirks. "Tough luck, mate," he told him. Jack felt the click of the pistol next to his ear and turned his head towards Em.

"Lead on to my quarters, Jack," Em said quietly, yet still with force.

Tim watched as Jack Sparrow gave her a cheeky smile despite that his life was on the line (though he really doubted that) and then watched as they walked towards the Captain's Quarters. Tim slowly balled his hands and felt his nails dig deep into his calloused palms. Tim literally felt himself shake with anger.

Michael slowly walked up to him as everyone else went back down to the crew's quarters to sleep again, leaving the pile of discarded weapons from Jack's crew for Michael and Tim to take care of. Standing next to Tim, he winced when Em slam her double doors behind her. "What do you think she'll do to Jack?" Michael asked a trifle worriedly.

_Jack._ The familiarity and worried tone Michael had used when uttering that name was the wood that made Tim's inner angry flame grow. He spun around on his heel and stalked over to the net that led up to the crow's nest. "I hope she kills him," Tim growled over his shoulder. A thin trickle of blood slowly made its way from his right fist and dripped onto the wood.

The room was still the same as Jack had last seen it two years ago. The reclining couch that held the secret hatch leading to the crew's quarters was moved in a familiar way nearer to Em's oak writing desk and the hatch was wide open. Jack stopped walking and stood on the Persian rug observing his surroundings. He jumped slightly when the double doors behind him were slammed shut. He turned around to face Emelia, but she just strode in past him towards the secret hatch and cleaned up the little mess, locking the hatch and then pushed back her reclining couch over it.

When she was done, Em stood up and turned slowly to face Jack.

He could plainly see the mask of pain along with another mix of confusing emotions battle across her face as she just continued looking at him with those dark brown eyes.

"Why?" Em finally managed to say, the sounding a little weak coming out of her mouth. She stopped herself and cleared her throat before continuing, this time with anger evident in her tone. "Why didn't you come back? Why did you wait until two years to come back to me?!" As she threw her accusations and harsh words at him, Em grew angrier and angrier at him. After a while, Em's raging fire was slowly dimming and she soon had to take deep breaths to return her dignified composure.

Jack, who had kept unusually quiet during her whole rant, spoke up, and his words hinted at a tiny amusement in them, "Are you done now, Emelia love?"

Em glared at him. "Don't call me that," she snapped and took a menacing step towards him, gun pointed straight at his chest.

Jack did not feel the slightest bit afraid of her actions. Instead, he just kept prodding her. "Don't call you what? Emelia? Love?" Jack grinned, showing half of his teeth including the gold ones.

"_Both_," she spat. "I _hate_ you, Jack Sparrow! You left me all alone for two long years! You promised that you'd be back!"

A mock kind of surprised look crossed Jack's face and he held up his hands in the air. "Well, what do you call me standing once more in front of you, and in your quarters with only you, no less?" he asked lightly and also shrugged his shoulders for more of an effect.

Em looked taken aback for a moment, her incomprehensible words coming out in splutters. "Well-you and . . .then you . . .!" she tried to say, but her eyes widened when Jack slowly walked over to her, swinging his hips in that peculiar was he walks. Em stopped him from coming further by putting her pistol nose right under his chin. "Stop what you're doing this instant," she whispered, but she felt her body calling wildly for his touch. He was trying to seduce her again, she knew it and was not afraid of his attempts to soften the ice surrounding her heart that had been building for the last two years, but what frightened her was that she knew that the ice was melting. "Stay away from me Jack Sparrow, or I will kill you for sure," she pleaded more than threatened him.

Jack stopped walking towards her as he felt the gun pushed under his chin, but he could not help but be amused by her weak attempts to get him away from her. He felt the pull of his body to hers. He was not driven by lust that sometimes come from not seeing a beauty such as Emelia Kraven for two years, but was driven to come so close to her and risking his life under any other normal circumstances by his need to know that she still loved him as much as when he had left her; as much as he still loved her. He decided right now that this was the delicate time to remind her of the happy times they had together.

Jack slowly lifted a single finger up to the gun and gingerly put it on the nose, careful to not do anything to make her finger slip on the trigger and shoot his brains out like she had threatened to that one bloke outside. At the same time, he was murmuring to her, "Now, now love. Don't you remember our little agreements that we made in this very same room?" His finger slowly applied pressure onto the pistol nose and without meeting much resistance on Em's part, he began to redirect the gun away from his throat.

Em's eyes seemed to soften and take on a faraway look as she stared into Jack's unwavering gaze. She saw the twinkle as clear as day this close to him. She still smelled the familiar odor of musk, sweat, and the salty sea clinging onto Jack. _Little agreements . . . _

"What agreements, per say, Jack Sparrow?" she whispered. She meant for her words to come out sounding irritated and angry, but instead they sounded almost seductive to both their ears.

Insuring that the gun was pointed out of the way, Jack slowly pried the gun out of her fingers and then stashed in into his belt. Jack grinned down at her, noticing that her eyes were widened at being now unarmed. He quickly pulled her into his arms before she could register what just happened, holding her close to his chest and making sure she was very unlikely to escape.

Em tried struggling out from his hold, but knew, as she had known two years ago when she was in this exact position that he wouldn't let up. "Leggo of me, ye damn scurvy blaggard! I will flog you myself before chopping your head off!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and tried to throw him off of her.

Jack threw his head back and laughed. Em stopped her attempts to escape long enough to give him a most evil look, but Jack took that open opportunity to press his lips on hers.

Em's eyes widened in shock at his boldness and at the powerful familiar feeling she felt in her stomach. It closed the well of sorrow in her gut and made her heart race so fast that she thought it would die of exhaustion then and there. She was being pulled down again by this wild feeling that gave her instant bliss and happiness as she forgot about any anger towards Jack and deepened the kiss once his arms slackened their hold on her. His hands were all over her, remembering the old trails they used to travel on her clothes and skin and making new ones too. Jack's head was spinning, giving him that light, disoriented feeling he got whenever he was chugging down a bottle of rum. Em's soft hand went to cup his cheek, then slid down his face, to his neck, and slowed as she got to his chest. She felt her fingers snag slightly at some sort of necklace around Jack's neck, and as her hand followed the thin gold chain, she felt a small bird-shape pendant that hung off that necklace.


	9. Everything is NOT Fine

Em immediately pulled away from the kiss, despite how her lips and subconscious mind yearned for her to put them back on his lips, and looked down at the little golden bird she held on the tips of her fingers. In its beak was a tiny silver bell. Em felt Jack's strong arms wrap around her, drawing her closer.

"It doesn't tinkle anymore," he said softly, as if apologetically.

Em lifted her head up and met his dark mesmerizing eyes. She felt prickling at the back of her eyelids and blinked back the tears. "You kept it?" But Em didn't even have to ask, for she held the tiny charm in her left hand. Em closed her eyes and felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She let the pendant drop back to his chest and sobbed into her hands.

"Ah, love, please don't cry," Jack pleaded, for he hated the sight of a woman crying, especially _this_ woman crying. "Shh, shh. It's gonna be alright." Jack brought her closer to him and let her head drop onto his shoulder as he whispered words of comfort. "I'm here now Emelia, and everything is just fine."

_Everything is just fine._

Em's tears suddenly stopped as if someone had dammed the river, although she still felt the after-effects of crying as hard as she had just done a moment ago. Jack's shoulder, the one she had laid her head on as she had cried, was soaking wet, but that did not matter. What he had just said mattered. His words had mattered so much that Em was now shaking uncontrollably with newly rekindled rage.

"Emelia, what's wrong, love? Why are you shaking so much?" The worried note in Jack's tone was the trigger to the gunshot.

Em's placed her hands quickly on his chest and pushed him away from her with all her might.

Jack fell hard on his backside, nearly having the air knocked out of his lungs. Feeling particularly sore where his tail bone was located, Jack slowly stood back up and faced Em with the second sign of anger on his face tonight. "What, in God's flowery nightshirt, was that about?!" he demanded.

Em completely ignored that question and shouted, "Everything is not fine, Jack Sparrow!" When she caught him muttering "captain" under his breath, the volume and ferocity of her words increased. "You left me for _two years_! And in that long period of time, I worried and fretted until I thought I would die in my sleep from not even hearing _one word _coming from you!" Em stopped screaming and took a few deep breaths, her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath the coat she wore. She felt the familiar tingling sensation around her eyes and blinked back the tears. In a much harsher, yet quieter tone than the one she had been using, she said, "You gave me no reason of your leaving, Jack, except that it was for the best for the both of us-"

"And it was!" Jack abruptly said, speaking up for the first time in his defense. "Still is," he added quickly before she could reply.

Em stared at him for what seemed like years until she started walking up slowly towards him. Jack immediately tensed up, wondering if she would unsheathe her sword and kill him once she reached him, but Jack then sighed inaudibly with relief when Em stopped just three feet in front of him and did not take out her cutlass. Her eyes met his dark ones. Her own dark orbs seemed to be pleading at him, the look so painful to see that Jack turned his face away from those sad eyes, now wishing that she had just done some damage to him than this.

"Jack." Her voice barely came above a whisper, sounding alone and almost afraid. This revelation unsettled Jack. "Jack, please tell me the _true_ reason why you left me."

Without looking back at Em, Jack walked around her until he was in front of her writing desk. For a moment, his eyes rested on a familiar-looking book lying on her desk before he spun around and then met Em's gorgeous dark brown eyes. "I love you, Emelia." he started, his tone blunt but still had a touch of softness to it, "but once I truly realized and accepted that fact, I knew it was too dangerous for the both of us if we continued on being together."

Em opened her mouth to protest, but Jack held up his hand to signal her to be quiet until he had finished.

"I know that you and I are in a world full of danger just being who we are-pirates," he added with a casual shrug, as if that fact wasn't really important. "But I have much more enemies that you have, Emelia," Jack said with vigor that seemed to come out of nowhere. "_Powerful_ enemies, at that," he added. The way that he stressed out the word "powerful" sent foreboding chills down Em's spine. "And so the real reason I was forced to leave you, love, was because I did not want you used against me by my enemies," Jack finished. However, the other reason for leaving her which he would never say was that he also did not want his carefully built reputation for never letting his emotions-correction, a _woman_- cloud his judgment and make him go soft, go to ruins; even for the woman that he loved almost as equally as he loved the Black Pearl.

Em tried to stay calm. She knew that what Jack had told her wasn't his only reason for leaving her. She could think of a million more reasons why he would leave. He is as unpredictable, yet still predictable as the sea, she thought mournfully and felt her heart beginning to slowly harden against him. Jack is wild like the sea, never tamed. Em took a particularly deep breath, but then soon let it out sharply as pain shot up her back. Her eyes immediately fell upon the bottle full of the green potion Tia Dalma had given her, and Em felt as if she could hit herself for forgetting about one of the two reasons she came to visit Tia in the first place.

Jack immediately saw the pain flood into Em's eyes as she struggled not to show him what was ailing her so suddenly. "Love . . ." he started. Taking a few steps toward her, but Em had unsheathed her cutlass and was pointing it straight at his heart. Jack stopped dead in his tracks, not daring to come any closer to the pointed blade, but it pained him to see her struggling so.

"Love, tell me what's wrong," he coaxed.

Em shook her head rapidly, then stopped and winced when she started feeling soft pounding at her temples. She shuffled to the left side closest to the reclining couch and motioned wither sword towards the double doors. "Leave me . . . leave my ship," she panted. Her breath was coming up short and harried and she was as pale as a ghost, but Em still kept stood upright. However, it was obvious with each breath she took pained her greatly.

Jack shook his head slowly and reached out his right hand towards her. "Sorry love, but I won't leave you-"

"Do it!" Em cried out harshly, the sound full of anguish along with her pain. "Leave! Just like you did _two years_ ago! Leave me and never again burden my mind and heart, you slimy sea serpent!" Tears flowed down her face like great waterfalls. Em's long black hair hung around the sides of her sad face like dark curtains.

For a long moment, Jack stood on her Persian rug, battling internally between doing as she said and leaving her, or not leave her like this. Chivalry did not want him to leave Em like this, but chivalry was rarely found in pirates such as Jack. He sighed deeply, mournfully and strode past Em, wrenching the double doors open and stepped onto the main deck. Immediately, he was grabbed from both sides by two pairs of hands and before he could figure out who were holding him, he was soaring in the air, and landed with a huge splash into the icy cold ocean waters.

* * *

From above, Briggen and Godsworth looked down at Jack for a few seconds before moving away from the banister.

"Good job, men. I know that must have been hard for you two, seeing how Captain Jack Sparrow once was in such good terms with us two years before," said Michael, who had observed the whole thing under Em's orders.

"Yeah, before 'e left the cap'n heart broken," Briggen muttered to Godsworth out of the corner of his mouth before they turned towards the first mate and saluted to him.

Michael nodded and told them to return to their previous chores. The whole ship was full of its usual day noise and bustle, despite how very late at night it really was. However, no one really cared that their captain thought it was too _early _to start setting sail towards their destination.

Oh well, the men can get some decent rest once we have left Pelegosto, Michael thought as he started walking towards Em's quarters. He opened the right door side and saw that his captain sat on her reclining couch. Her black coat was thrown over the stool near to the end of the couch and her back was facing towards him. He saw, as he quietly walked inside and softly closed the door behind him, that Em was staring warily at the bottle full of green potion in her hands that Tia 

Dalma had given to her. Michael spoke up, "You want me to help you with that, Emelia?"

Startled slightly, Em moved around on her spot and faced him. "Don't frighten me like that," she snapped. The pain throbbing on her back and a little in her head was making her very irritated.

Michael winced. "Sorry," he apologized. Michael walked towards her and took a seat at the head of the reclining couch next to her. He took the bottle from her hands and motioned with his other hand for her to turn around. Em sighed heavily, her silent protest for him helping her, but complied, facing her back towards him. "Shirt up," Michael ordered. When he could see the whole wound in the middle of her back, a jagged stretch of a wound that was still healing, Michael popped open the bottle in his hands. The sweet odor of cloves and ginger soon filled their nostrils as Michael began to carefully apply the green liquid onto Em's wound.

Em pulled her long, raven black hair over her left shoulder so it would not touch any of the potion he put on her back and sighed with relief as her pain began to recede. "So how are we on the tide?" she murmured after taking the time to recollect her thoughts.

"Thanks that the full moon is up tonight, the tide if full so we can ship off once the men are finished securing the sails," Michael replied. He put the two-thirds full bottle on the corner of Em's writing desk then concentrated on gently rubbing the potion deeper into Em's back.

Em lowered her eyes and spotted a familiar worn-out, black tricorn hat next to her right foot. It was Jack's hat. It must have fallen off when we had-Em stopped that train of thought before it could be finished and grimaced painfully, although her physical pain was now a memory. She leaned down and snatched the hat with erh right hand. As she brought it close to her, Em whispered, "He kept the necklace I gave him."

For a moment, Michael stopped rubbing Em's back long enough to wrack his brains for the memory of the necklace Em just spoke of. Then, an image of a small gold charm shaped in a soaring bird with a tiny silver bell hanging from its beak that hung from a thin gold chain around her slender neck came into mind and he resumed rubbing again. There was a long stretch of silence until Michael spoke, "He still loves you, Emelia. You should forgive him for leaving you." Michael removed his hands from her back, finished, and rubbed the excess potion on his side pant legs. However, he continued to speak as Em lowered her shirt with one hand while the other still held Jack's hat. "I'm sure he's given you a very good reason as to why he left, and I'm sure that he did tell you when you asked."

Em winced, for she knew very well that the conversation between Jack and her, mainly the parts where she had shouted at him, were heard by most of her crew. "I don't think I can forgive him for leaving me alone for two years," she said softly.

Michael stood up from the reclining couch and looked down at his childhood friend, who right now, in his opinion, was being stubborn. "Look Emelia," he began in a tough-love kind of tone, "you both forgive him, and then go on living the rest of your life without him, or you forgive him and accept him back into your life. Frankly, I'd choose the latter if I were in your shoes because before Briggen and Godsworth threw him off the ship, Jack had a look on his face that clearly told us he was near heartbroken about you telling him to never come back again."

He saw the dark look Em gave him over her shoulder as he had given her those two options, and he gave her a stern look of his own. "I know that he left you for two years, but you can't let your damned overreacting, feminine side take over your reason! For all that anyone cares, he could have come back when it was too late because you were dead, or worse: he could have _never_ come back because either he never cared about you or he was dead." Michael stopped scolding her and sighed with faint guilt. In all the long years that they had known each other, Michael had never told off Em like he had one just now.

A soft smile touched Em's lips. Forever grateful that she had Michael to being her back to her sense, Em put on a brave face and also stood up from the couch, reenergized and still clutching Jack's hat in her hands. The hat had gone unnoticed by Michael. "You are absolutely right," she admitted simply, with conviction. "I've decided that I will live my life without Jack Sparrow."

"And you're going to forgive him?" Michael added hopefully.

"Nope." Em placed Jack's hat on her head and grabbed her black coat draped over the stool. Shouldering it on, Em then patted her clothes to make sure she had every weapon in place. She stopped when her left hand did not feel the familiar bulk in her left pant pocket where her pistol usual was. Em's eyes widened in shock as the memory came back to her.

"Begads! That bloody pirate has stolen my pistol!" she swore. "An eye for an eye," she added bitterly and tipped his tricorn hat away from her eyes.

Instead of sharing in her anger, Michael just laughed. "Well, Jack _is_ a 'bloody pirate'," he teased.  
Em looked up at him and gave him a dirty look. Pushing past, she muttered oaths under her breath as Michael followed after his captain happily through the double doors and onto the deck.  
"Ahoy, captain!" many of the men called out to her as they passed.

"Nice hat, cap'n!" someone shouted which actually made Em smirk. She nodded to them all. Stopping at the foot of the net that went up to the crow's nest, she looked up and saw a familiar head of long, straw-colored hair up in the crow's nest. "Oy, Briggen!" she yelled up at him.  
Briggen looked down at her and shouted, "Aye, cap'n?"

Em scanned the sails that were now tied down and opened. The soft wind blowing over the ship was also pushing at the sails. "How much longer do we need for the sails to be ready?" she asked.

Briggen gave her an immediate reply, "The Raven is already set to take flight, cap'n. We're just waiting for yer orders!"

"Alright," Em told him. She turned away and walked towards the stairs leading up to the poop deck, and when she was there, she saw Michael, Ozz, and to her slight discomfort, Tim at the steering wheel, though none of them touched the great wooden thing. "Tim," she called out sharply. She still had her grudge against him for impersonating as the captain, but she could do little about it at the moment because he was still her skipper and she needed him.

Tim moved away from Michael and Ozz and nodded to Em in a stiff way of acknowledgement. "Aye, _captain_?" he asked, making sure to deliberately stress out "captain".

Em's tone, if it could, got sharper. "Tell the men to set sail this instant. When I check up on you in half an hour, I want you to be able to report to me that Pelegosto Island is nothing but part of the morning horizon. _Do I make myself clear?_" she added with extra emphasis.

Tim nodded curtly before moving away to give the crew their orders.

Em turned to Ozz, who looked a little more than worn out for obvious reasons. She had had Michael order one of the men to retrieve him earlier than planned from Tia Dalma's so he wouldn't be left behind. She imagined with an inward wince that Tia must not have been very happy. "Ozz, you will go fetch Mr. Drummond and bring him to the poop deck. Then, I want you to take a short rest." She saw Ozz opened his mouth to protest her last order, but Em cut him off before he could utter a word. "I do not need you passing out before the sun hasn't even come up to chase the night away. Do as you're told, understood?" she snapped.

Ozz nodded quickly and hurried away to complete his orders.

Last, Em turned to Michael. "Get The Raven's flag from my quarters. I want you back here before Mr. Drummond gets here," she ordered.

Michael nodded before running back to her Captain's Quarters. In less than five minutes, Michael came back with a large folded black cloth under his arm. Em grinned for the second time since returning from Tia Dalma's home next to the river as she looked at The Raven's flag nestled in Michael's strong arms. Soon, they both heard a pair of boots hobbling up the stairs and turned to their owner, Mr. Drummond. Once the thin old man stopped next to Michael and greeted her with his lopsided smile, Em nodded at him. She took the folded flag from Michael's arms and placed it in Mr. Drummond's dark, skin-cracked ones. "I trust you to raise The Raven's flag, Mr. Drummond," Em told him solemnly, but all three knew that her eyes held only warmth for this old man who had come with them from their home island of Barbados.

Mr. Drummond smiled widely this time, showing his few yellowing cracked teeth amidst his 

white close-shaven beard. Raising the flag was an honor Em reserved only for him, and he prided her trust in him very much. "Yes, milady," Mr. Drummond replied and turned around to do his job.

A small smile touched Em's dry lips before it was lost by then stern look coming back to her face, marring the image of beauty she had been wearing for a minute. She looked at Michael and jerked her head to the side. "Come and help me, Michael. Since we are no longer near Port Royal, we must bring in the cloths covering The Raven's name" she told him and started on the cloth handing at the stern, or back of the ship.

"Aye, aye cap-I mean Emelia," Michael corrected hastily when Em gave him a sharp look over her shoulder. Her hands were quickly unknotting the ropes that held the cloth in place. Michael walked over to the tied ropes on the other side as he said, "The Raven must show her name with pride as her captain and hands do."


	10. The Raven Takes Flight

From under the clear, cold ocean water, Jack could see the wavering image of the full moon as he swam up towards it. The equally cold air felt like a stinging slap to his face as he soon broke the rough surface with a deep gasp for air and coughed out the water he accidentally had swallowed when he had been dumped overboard The Raven. For a moment, he thought he saw Briggen and Godsworth's familiar faces starting down at him with looks of regret from above, but when Jack did a double take, he didn't see them anymore.

"Well _that_ didn't go so very well," he grumbled. Shaking the water out of his eyes, Jack began to swim back to the Pearl.

Waiting for him on the right side that faced Pelegosto Island was a rope ladder. Just as he hoisted himself out of the water, Jack heard Gibbs' voice shout from above, "Alright men! Bring 'im on board!" Jack's grip on the rope ladder tightened as his crew pulled him up. Jack looked up and saw Gibbs' smiling, bearded face and the hand his portly friend offered to him. He took the sweaty hand and climbed on deck. Everyone save Cotton and his parrot was still wet from being thrown off The Raven, but at least they were slightly drier and no longer dripping wet like Jack was. Jack threw back his sopping tangle of hair, nearly missing Gibbs' face by inches, and grinned sheepishly at his crew.

"Well mates, it could have gone worse," he said with a light shrug and a careless toss of his head; although truthfully, he felt anything but light and careless at that moment. Not after his confrontation with Emelia Kraven. When Jack noticed how everyone was so quiet, he then noticed the alarm on their faces as they stared at something on his head-or lack of something.

"What is it?" Jack demanded, feeling a bit unnerved by their silent staring. "Spit it out, men!"

"Jack . . ." Jack turned to Gibbs. He was pointing at Jack's head. "Yer hat is gone."

It took Jack a few seconds to process that information and register in his head before he lifted his right hand. He slowly touched the top of his head. Expecting to feel the worn leather that his tricorn hat was made of, Jack grew greatly alarmed when his finger tips only touched his wet hair and the faded red bandana he always wore around his head. "Me hat!" The words burst forth from his lips with such intensity that his crew jumped. "Where's _my _hat?!"

"Jack! Ye must have left it at-!"

"Rawk! The Raven, The Raven!" Cotton's parrot suddenly cried, flapping its colorful wings and bobbing its small head.

All eyes were soon on the ship they had been rejected from. The yellowing cloths that had hidden the ship's name were gone now, showing the faded gold lettering that spelled her name in wide letters, on all her sides: The Raven.

Jack's eyes found The Raven's main mast and zoomed up towards its highest peak. Amidst the open grungy, white sails, he could plainly see the black flag with a red skull and crossbones blowing with the soft wind, and in the top left corner was the "M" that bore Emelia Kraven's, or Em's, mark.

"She's taking sail, captain!" Marty cried as he stood on tip toes and saw like the rest of the crew that the said ship was no longer on the island and was already sailing away.

"Don't worry Jack! We'll get yer hat back!" Gibbs yelled and he and a few of the men quickly started for one of the row boats. "If we're lucky, we can-"

"Stop!" Jack shouted, spinning around to face them while his hands waved around to get their attention before they started taking off the ropes that secured the boat. "Leave them be for now! We can get my hat back later!"

Silence descended the whole crew and all eyes were staring at Jack like he had gone crazy. Jack let his hands grab onto the front of his coat and he cleared his throat. "Yes, leave them be," he started.

"But Jack, yer hat-" Gibbs started, disbelief etched across his face, but Jack cut him off with a knowing smirk.

"Don't worry Mr. Gibbs. We _will_ find them eventually," Jack told him and patted the compass attached to his leather belt with one hand. "_And_ I'm very confident that Emelia Kraven would give my hat back willingly," he added with a wink.

His crew looked at him this time in confusion.

"Why's that, cap'n?" someone asked.

Jack chuckled and with that same hand that patted his compass, he reached into his belt and pulled out a pistol. He held it out for his men to see, particularly the carved letter "M" on the wooden handle. He smiled widely as his crew gaped in shock. "Emelia Kraven's pistol," he told them a trifle smugly. "She has my hat, and I have her gun. A fair trade that will be," he finished and then stashed the pistol back in his belt. He patted the bulge and smiled. Turning around on the heels of his shoes, Jack started walking towards his quarters with more of an exaggerated swagger in his steps.

"So what do we do now, Jack?" Gibbs called.

Jack stopped in front of his double doors and looked at them over his shoulder. He turned around to face them with a contemplative look on his face. "Well gents, I do believe that we came to visit Tia Dalma before all this started." He turned his back on them and then flung open his doors. His voice traveled towards his crew's ears.

"Tomorrow morn we go visit Tia, but now, with a _different reason_ in mind for coming."

* * *

"Pelegosto Island is just the scenery now, captain," Tim shouted from his place at the wheel. "Where are we headed?" He waited for the answer to his question, but as the silence between him and Em, the one he was talking to, it was clear she hadn't heard him. "Captain?" Tim turned his head to the right and saw his captain's fair attention was elsewhere.

Through her telescope, Em saw under the clear, star-filled night the Black Pearl floating a few yards away from her ship. No one from Jack Sparrow's crew was on deck with the exception of the lone man standing atop the highest mast in the crow's nest.

"Oy, Captain Emelia Kraven!" Tim hollered, feeling now irked that he was being paid no attention. He got it enough, or not enough, when he was trying to woo her.

Em lowered her telescope and felt the corner of her left eye twitch, her trademark quirk that meant she was ticked off as well as he sounded. "I heard you, alright Timmothy McIlrath!" she snapped. Pocketing her telescope, she spun around on in her spot and marched up to the taller man until only three feet of space separated them.

Tim stared down at her with his dark green eyes boring into her dark brown ones. He tried to hold back a smile as she glared up at him. What he would give to kiss her right then and there, even if she was yelling at him at the moment.

"Don't think I have forgotten about the little stunt you pulled a few hours ago!" she yelled up at him, her temper rising. "I swear on my life, that if I have the chance, I will tie you myself to the cannon and-!" At that moment, Em couldn't speak for lips crushed into hers, effectively shutting her up. For a slice of a moment, she imagined those lips belonging to Jack, but her eyes widened first with shock, and then with fury when the eyes she stared into was Tim's green orbs and not Jack's. Em pulled away quickly, reared her hand back, and soundly slapped Tim across the face.

Tim felt the stinging blow like a cat tail across his face, and put all his will power into not showing any sign that he had felt pain from her slap. When it came down to admitting it, Em was really strong for being a woman.

Em took a few steps away from him and breathed hard and deep to regain control over herself, though she would love nothing more than to shoot him - if she still had her pistol with her, that is. "I think," Em began in a shaky voice that hinted at greatly suppressed rage, "that we all need a rest. I have been driving you all too hard for one day." Em turned to the rest of the crew, who had temporarily stopped what they were doing to look at what was going on with their captain and her skipper. "Half of you, you may rest for the first half of the day down in your quarters. Then, I will have the other half wake you up so they can rest and the first half will pick up from the second's duties. Look outs will take turns each hour with new people every hour or so. Do I make myself clear?" she ordered.

There was a hurried chorus of "Ayes" before Michael hurried down the stairs and onto the main deck to help with the rearrangements.

Em turned back to Tim, whose face was red and marked from where she had slapped him, and she glowered up at him. "You will be in the first half that takes a break, _mate_," she spat the word out like honey-covered poison.

Tim meekly nodded and stepped away from the steering wheel. He bent down a little towards Em so that no one could overhear them and whispered, "No matter your discomfort, I still thought that little kiss we just shared was very sweet, Emelia." He stood up straight, smirked at the appalled look across his pretty captain's face, and was moving towards the steps. As he passed Michael on his way down, Tim distinctly heard the first mate mutter darkly under his breath, "Leave her alone while you still have your life ahead of you, mate." Tim stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned towards Michael, but the other blonde was already out of sight.

"And where exactly are we going, Em?" Michael asked as he stopped next to his captain. He thought it was the best path to avoid at all costs mentioning what just happened with Tim until later. "Are we going straight towards the fountain?" he pressed when he didn't get a response.

Em turned the large wooden steering wheel to the left and said, "No we're not. Despite how we both heard from Tia Dalma that there are no curses on the Fountain of Youth, that does not mean we cannot overlook her warning about peril coming our way. So we must restock some of the essentials-"

"At Tortuga," Michael quickly caught on.

Em nodded, feeling that her flames of anger was slowly being put out, but that didn't mean it would stop smoldering. "Damn bastard," she spat through clenched teeth.

Michael looked down at her with a sympathetic look.

"I don't need your sympathy," Em grumbled and jerked the wheel harder than she had wanted to the left, causing the ship to tilt slightly in that direction. "You better watch it, Em," Michael warned as he watched through his sky-blue eyes as some of the first half of the crew doing their duty shifted with the movement of the ship.

Em planted her feet firmly on the wooden floor to keep from also sliding and secured the wheel and the ship with a few simple turns.

"Why, why does he continue to persist?" she asked her childhood friend.

Michael thought about it for a moment, weighing out the possibilities why would Tim put his life on the line for the sake of making Em devoted to him as she was to Jack (though right now she won't admit it openly), and he concluded, "I might have thought wrongly before that Tim might truly love you. Of course, I could be as wrong as I was then, but right now he's giving me the impression he wants you and-"

"The Raven," Em also concluded with a dark look. She made to turn the wheel again to the left, but felt Michael's hands on her right hand and looked up at him with annoyance.

Michael ignored the look and gently pushed her aside, taking the wheel. "I will steer, Emelia. You'll most likely drown a few of our good men if you continue to jerk us about," he joked, although he was partially serious about his statement.

Em rolled her eyes and walked towards the banister, pulling Jack's hat over her dark eyes. The leather hat fit loosely around her head, so she imagined that on Jack, it fit most perfectly. The thought of her rogue pirate - wait, _her rogue pirate_? Em slowly closed her eyes under the protection of the tricorn hat and breathed in deeply through her nostrils to calm her wild thoughts.

Michael noticed Em was gone from his side and looked about the poop deck. He spotted her back towards him to his far left and noticed Jack's hat tipped a little lower towards her face. He called out to her, "I hope you take care of Jack's hat, Em," he told her. "I have a feeling that it will come in handy to us all in the future-I mean, it's supposed to be lucky and all," he added with a shrug he knew she couldn't see.

Em wasn't listening, lost in her own thoughts as she was. Weariness was now starting to catch up to her, but she knew that she had other things than rest along with the other half of her crew. Knowing that Michael would bring them towards their destination by nightfall, Em began to walk towards her Captain's Quarters, stomping down the stairs, passing her crew, and then wrenching her double doors open before closing herself off to the outside world.

Her dark brown eyes fell upon her old journal, the book she knew that Jack had recognized, and she walked towards her writing desk. Plopping onto her seat behind the desk, she got into a comfortable position and picked up her journal. She opened her journal up, but instead of picking up from where she had left off before Jack and his crew had tried to "invaded" her ship, Em quickly flipped towards the last pages of her old journal and started from there.


	11. Thick as Thieves We Are

"Ahhh, Jack! So very good to be seeing you, dis marnin'" Tia said intimately, suggesting many years of having known each other, as Jack stepped in through the front door of her cramped home over the river. Tia appeared in front of the doorway that led to her equally cramped kitchen with a big smile on her face that showed every one of her blue-stained teeth.

Jack smiled also, although not as toothily as her, and watched as she swept towards him. Her light brown skin glistened with sweat under the lamps that hung from her high ceiling, and Jack chanced a glance at her chest where the tops of her breasts seemed to be calling out to his lecherous side. He looked up in time to meet the puckered lips waiting for his, but Jack quickly pulled away, not for the fact that he was repulsed, but that a fleeting image of Emelia Kraven's sad face floated into his mind.

Tia's smile, as she stepped back, was slightly smaller than when she had greeted him and her teeth were no longer showing. Her dark eyes scanned every inch of Jack Sparrow's face and then a knowing look crossed her face. She lifted a hand and put it tenderly on his cheek. "Ahh, Jack Sparrow, ye've had a brush wit _destiny_ last night," she said and let her thumb intimately brush Jack's cheek.

Jack pulled away from her hand and cleared his throat. "Uh what brush of destiny, might I ask?" he inquired interestedly.

Tia smiled and tilted her head to the side coyly. "I know yer here for a specific paarpose, Jack," she replied with a touch of mystery to her tone, mixed with her native Caribbean accent of stressing out the vowels.

"And how would you know that?" he demanded, though he knew very well that he needn't ask. Tia had _the sight_.

Ignoring his question, Tia continued, "I know dat yer not here to spend some _time _with me, as you had originally planned." Her eyes closed halfway and this time her smile turned wide again, showing her teeth. "You are heeere, Jack Sparrow, to know about Emelia Kraven, whom you have met agayn last night," she practically purred. Her eyes traveled up to his head, and she giggled.

"I see that Emelia has a belonging of yers, Jack," she teased gently.

"Yes, but I have a belonging of hers too," Jack replied and patted the bulge in his belt that held Em's pistol.

Tia looked at him carefully. "Indeed," she said, the word coming out through her lips just a bit wearily.

Jack nodded. Reaching into his inner coat pocket, he drew out a long rope of pearls and held them out for Tia Dalma. "Your payment, Tia, for telling me what I need to know," Jack negotiated.

Tia's wide eyes held her smile as she stared down at the lovely necklace Jack held out to her. Delicately, she lifted them out of his hands, and after closely expecting the necklace, she placed them on the round table behind her. Tia turned to Jack and asked what he first wanted to know.

Jack cleared his throat and dove into business. "First, I want you to tell me why I had 'a brush with destiny'," he asked.

Tia looked at him shrewdly. "_Destiny_," she began, "because it is destiny dat you and Emelia Kraven join together once more." Tia took a step closer up to Jack and looked up at him from her short height that exactly matched Em's height. "It is destiny dat guided you to Emelia last night, but it was yer own part from yer greed dat you stole onto her ship along with yer crew."

A sheepish smile stole onto Jack's face and he muttered a soft, "Ah, well when yer a pirate . . ." He quickly got back to the heart of the matter and demanded, "But why does destiny want us together again?"

Tia gave him a long look and then answered simply, "To save her from herself, o' carse."

Though her words were simple, they held such a definite weight that Jack actually felt that weight crushing his very heart. "To save her?" he choked.

Tia lifted a single finger and trailed it down the side of his face. "Yeeess, Jaaaack Spaaarroow," she cooed. "You must save Emelia Kraven from de perils she and her beloved crew shall face when they attempt to sarch for something dat they all want, dat every _mortal_ man wants."  
Puzzled, Jack grabbed her finger and pulled it away from his face. "What are you trying to tell me, Tia love?" he demanded. _Dat every _mortal_ man wants._ Her words sent a chill down Jack's spine.

Tia looked off to the side, as if losing herself in thought, and then slowly turned her head back towards him. "I am saying, Jack, dat if you do not go after her now-forget about her hurtful words to you before she had her crew throw you off their ship-den she will surely die," she warned him. Tia turned around and walked towards the great wooden table sitting in the middle of the room, the one where her newly acquired pearl necklace lay on. She moved around it until she was facing Jack on the other side of the table. Her facial features were no unreadable to Jack, who walked up until his midriff touched the wooden table.

Jack took a deep breath, and asked in a forced-calm voice, "Tia, can you tell me where Emelia is headed? It's to save some trouble for me later," he added quickly and patted his compass.

Tia smiled a little and lifted a single knife from the table. Jack watched in apprehension as Tia raised her hand and closed her eyes. Without warning, she flung the knife off to her right side, and they both heard the dull _thunk_ as the knife embedded itself on her wall.

Having expected it to have broken something, Jack turned his head to his left and saw that the knife had stuck itself on the only part of Tia's wall that did not have any shelves that held her little "trinkets" and things. Instead, it held up a map of the world.

Tia raised the hand that had thrown the knife and pointed to where it was stuck on the map. "Tortuga," she said to Jack, looking straight at him.

* * *

"How did it go, Jack?" Gibbs asked his old friend as he reached towards the rope that tied the small row boat to Tia's walkway.

Jack hadn't told Gibbs the reason he went to see Tia Dalma than the old reason of spending the night with her. He didn't think it was necessary to tell Gibbs everything they had talked about in Tia's home.

"It went very well, in my opinion, mate," Jack said lightly. As they rowed back towards the Pearl, Jack's thoughts were filled with words like "destiny," "save her," and Tia's last warning to him before he left.

"Beware of de man who has de eyes of envy," Tia had warned.

"'_Eyes of envy_'?" Jack had repeated skeptically.

As Jack pondered out the meaning, a vaguely familiar saying came into mind: _To be green with envy._

Jack had not understood back what Tia's words meant when she had first told him, but as an image of dark, angry green eyes flashed into his mind, eyes that belonged to one man who dared pretend that _he_ was the captain of The Raven, it suddenly dawned on Jack.

"Timmothy McIlrath," Jack murmured under his breath.

* * *

Entry 63  
There are few pages left in this journal. Sad. There's enough pages to tell you that the love of my life has left me, for what I think, no apparent reason at all than "It's simply for the best for both of us that we separate."

I'm sorry that my tears, which fall down onto these last pages like a terrible rain storm, might wash away these words. I can't stop crying, for Jack Sparrow fills my thoughts and my heart.  
Why did he have to leave me? It could have been so simple, as simple as he told his final farewell to me, just to have stayed and made us _both_ happy.

Closing my eyes, I can still picture the scene that had happened on the main deck of The Raven, my ship, three days ago. Yes, I have waited for three days to write down what had happened. The last three days, I have shut up myself in my Captain's Quarters, refusing to talk to my pleading, refusing to sleep for fear that I should dream of Jack, and even refusing to eat. For the past three days, I have drunken myself repeatedly into a stupor by our fine stolen rum, rum that Jack and I stole ourselves before-

Later . . .  
It was Michael again. Of all my crew, he and Mr. Drummond are trying their hardest to get be back to shape, but I will not. Not until I finally write down my heart and soul's sorrow, and if I feel the raging storm in my heart quiet down a little bit, I might consider myself self-dubbed "content" and go on with my life. Maybe.

I could see it clearly just like it happened just yesterday.

The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, dulling the light blue sky with its brilliant display of red, yellow, and orange banners. I had told my crew that they could head down to their quarters and rest for the rest of the coming night once they were finished with whatever Michael had told them to do in my place as my first mate.

Soon, it was only me, Jack, and my old Mr. Drummond, the man who had brought me into this world on our home island of Barbados, on deck. Jack and I stood up on the poop deck behind the huge, wooden steering wheel, watching the sunset with hands over our eyes, and free arms entwined in each other's embrace.

Soft words were whispered every few seconds or so, and neither of us were worried that Mr. Drummond could hear for not only was he high up in the crow's nest on the first watch, but neither me nor Jack cared if he heard.

The sun had halfway disappeared by then, and that's when I turned to face Jack. He looked down at me as I looked up at him, our hearts plainly in our eyes.

"I love you, Jack Sparrow," I whispered and half teased him for not adding his mandatory title of "captain".

Jack glowered at me playfully and pulled me deeper into his arms, wrapping me into his warm embrace. "_Captain_, Miss Kraven," he murmured and dipped his head down to catch my lips.

What would have been a very blissful moment was interrupted by Mr. Drummond's alarmed voice calling down to us.

"Cap'n Emelia! Cap'n Jack! There be a ship approaching us from behind!" Mr. Drummond shouted in his strong voice that never seemed to be real, coming from such a frail-looking man as he.

I broke away from Jack and spun around to where my look out was pointing to. Catching up to us fast was a familiar-looking ship with their pirate flag up and blowing with the soft wind.

"It's the Black Pearl!" Mr. Drummond called.

I spun around and faced Jack, who stared at his ship impassively; no sign of shock or surprise was registered in any part of his body.

"Why is the Black Pearl here?" I demanded, slightly irked that Jack had not told me his ship was coming. For some reason that I now understand but didn't then, I had a terrible, foreboding feeling rattling at my guts when I had first spotted Jack's ship. Jack didn't seem to have heard me and I repeated my words.

He looked at me then, slowly tilting his head down to me. His dark, mesmerizing eyes held regret and sadness that struck hard at my heart.

"Jack?" I whispered uncertainly. I reached up to touch his face, but Jack moved away from my hand and I felt like he had driven a knife up my ribs. "What's this all about?" I asked softly.

By now, the Pearl had finally caught up to us.

Mr. Drummond, once he recognized the ship's identity, was helping Mr. Gibbs place the wooden walkway between our ships, but no one from Jack's crew came onto our ship.

Jack walked around me and started walking down the steps without so much as a word to me.  
"Jack!" I cried and flew towards him. I caught his right arm halfway towards the walkway on my deck and forced him to turn to face me. "Are you leaving? For how long?" I demanded angrily. I was angry at him for not telling me any of this, and truthfully, wounded that he didn't want to tell me in the first place.

Jack looked down at me sadly, with a tortured look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Emelia darling," he said softly and tried pulling me into his arms.

I pushed him away and demanded how long he would be gone. Jack looked hurt when I had pushed him away, but I didn't care. I repeated my question.

Jack sighed and replied, "I do not know how long I will be gone, Emelia." He looked away, and then replied softly, "I do not know because I can't come back to you."

His words hung in the still air silently as I registered the meaning of his words. "What?" I gasped. "You're leaving me? For what purpose, Jack Sparrow!" I demanded, trying to hold back my tears. My heart felt like it was literally breaking.

Jack turned back to me and said slowly, "It's simply for the best for both of us that we separate."  
"That's not a reason at all, Jack!" I shouted at him. "You slimy serpent! You've been toying with me for all this time we've been together, pilfering my heart, whispering to me sweet lies so you could leave me eventually!"

"That is not true, Emelia, and you know it as well as I, love," Jack snapped. He caught himself before he said anything he would regret for the rest of his life. In a softer voice, Jack said, "Please forgive me, love. I do this for the both of us."

I closed my eyes, and the tears I had been keeping at bay slipped and fell. I then felt Jack's strong arms wrap around me, drawing me into him for the last time, and opened my eyes so I looked into his as we kissed tenderly, passionately for what seemed to me like the last time.

"I love you, Emelia Kraven. Never doubt that," Jack said as he pulled away and let me go. He turned around and started for the plank connecting out ships, but I cried, "Wait!" He turned around to face me again as I ran up to him. Out of impulse, I removed the gold necklace that had hung around my neck for nearly ten long years and placed it around Jack's neck before taking a step back.

Jack looked down at the necklace I had given him. With one hand, he touched the little gold charm shaped into a soaring bird that hung from the thin gold chain. The tiny silver bell hanging from the bird's beak tinkled. Jack looked up at me questioningly.

"So you shall never forget me as I will never forget you, Jack Sparrow," I whispered, tears flowing freely down my cheeks and dripped down the front of my shirt. I closed my eyes and blocked out the sounds of him leaving: the fading taps of his footsteps, the wooden walkway being brought back to the Pearl, and then the mighty ship itself sailing away.

"I love you, Jack Sparrow," I had whispered, clutching my trembling hands to my broken heart.  
I vow in this journal, in my own words, that no man shall ever take the place in my heart that Jack had carved himself. I shall vow that I will love no other man than Jack. These words I take with me to my grave, whether on land or on the sea which Jack is in spirit and loves - perhaps loves even more than me.

* * *

Em closed her old journal and her eyes slowly. She dropped the journal onto her writing desk and sighed heavily, battling with her tears that always seem to threaten to overtake her. She was very tired of her tears, tired of her sorrows. Michael was right. It was either she forgive Jack and live her life without him, or forgive Jack and bring him back into her life. Somehow, although the latter seemed very improbable, it appealed to her more than the former.

However, if she ever figured out to bring in or leave Jack out of her life, one thing was certain: she would forgive him. She more or less accepted his reason(s) for leaving her, but they still did nothing to ease her pain. She would forgive him, alright.

Eventually.


	12. Yo Ho Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me!

_Emelia . . . Emelia . ._ Someone was calling her. The voice sounded so distant that she couldn't recognize who was calling her.

_Emelia, love . . . _

Jack? Was it really him calling to her?

_Emelia, it's time to wake up now. Everyone's waiting for you . . ._

Em recognized that voice. It was coming closer, and coming from her right.

It was Michael.

Em slowly opened her eyes and saw the fuzzy blonde head hovering over her that belonged to her best friend.

"Whaaat?" she groaned and blinked back the drowsiness in her eyes. Her Captain's Quarters became clearer and she followed with her eyes as Michael's head moved to the right and he stood up straight from the crouched position he had been in.

"Em, we're at Tortuga's port," he told her. "We're trying to dock this moment." His face held concern. "You were mumbling in your sleep."

Em blinked slowly and then noticed that she still sat on her armchair behind her writing desk. In front of her was her journal, closed. She must have fallen asleep soon after reading her last entry. The memory of that entry quickly filled Em with pain and loss, but by sheer will power, she thrust those feelings into her heart and locked them up for later.

Em stood up carefully from her chair, stretching her limbs and not even wincing every time she heard a crack from somewhere in her body, particularly in her neck region. "How long have I been sleeping?" she asked Michael as she adjusted her clothes, paying the most attention to Jack's hat still perched on her head.

Michael moved back to give her room to pass him and he followed her towards the double doors. "I believe ever since the morning," he told her. "It's late afternoon," he added when he caught up with Em and saw she was about to ask. It was true, too. When they both pushed open the doors leading to the main deck, the sun was already setting and the sky was turning dark.

Em stepped onto the deck and stared out ahead where the main port of Tortuga, the pirate self-claimed island, approached the ship. Right now, everyone of Em's crew was on deck and very busy, trying to come to terms with Tim's orders as he directed them towards docking The Raven into the harbor.

"Blimey! We're already at Tortuga," Em exclaimed and shook her head in wonder as she started to the right for the stairs leading up to the poop deck.

Michael quickly followed her. "I told you, Em, Jack's hat must be good luck," he teased and tapped the back of the said hat so that it tipped over her eyes.

"Oy, don't touch Jack's hat!" Em cried. She stopped moving immediately, for she was on the stairs and didn't want to fall, and she shoved the hat back so that she could see. Em threw a glare at Michael's grinning face before climbing up the rest of the stairs. She could feel her cheeks fairly burning from what she had just said and was glad she had made sure that some of her long hair covered the sides of her face, including her cheeks.

"Rested enough, Timmothy?" Em called out to her skipper as she walked towards the tall blonde.  
Tim stopped shouting at Briggen up in the crow's nest and turned his head towards her, grinning like a fool. He was slightly drunk from the rum he had drank down in the crew's quarters before coming up on deck. "Rested fairly well, captain," he replied and chuckled.

I think I prefer him better this way, Em thought as she stopped next to him, feeling very petite and delicate beside his tall, lean body. I rather like him in this joking mood than the one he uses when he tries to woo me. She sighed inwardly before adding, It gets _very _tiresome trying to reject him at times.

"We have finally arrived, Em," Michael announced once he got the word from Mr. Drummond.

Em nodded and strode towards the stairs with a fair amount of bounce in her footsteps. She didn't quite know why she was in a good mood. It may have something to do with the fact that in Tortuga where she was well-known, she didn't have to disguise herself by wearing any of the horrible dresses her crew makes her wear out in public. Of course, it may also have something to do with the fact that she was just one step closer to finding the Fountain of Youth.

She reached the main deck and hurried up to help some of her men bring down the ladder off the right side of the ship, the side that faced the harbor, and she was the first to go down it and step onto one of the many wooden docks jutting out from the boardwalk.

Immediately, a grimy-looking man that Em recognized right away was the harbormaster walked up to her with a box in his hands. Em was slightly taller than him, but not by much. However as he leered up at her with his yellow-tinged eyes, Em drew up to her full height and looked down condescendingly at him as he told her that she had to pay three shillings for docking her ship.

"Three shillings, is it?" Em repeated calmly.

The man nodded greedily and watched gleefully as her left hand trailed to her side. Then, the glee in his yellow eyes widened and turned into fear as she held her cutlass at his throat threateningly.

"How about you leave me be, you landlubber, and I can have the money you have collected," Em said coldly. Her words sounded like a suggestion, but as the cool blade started cutting into the man's neck, he knew it was really a demand. Bloody damned pirates, he inwardly cursed. Untying the satchel full of shillings from his belt, he handed over the bag to the pirate he now recognized as "Em," captain of The Raven.

Em's lips tilted up in a curt smile. "Thank you for your_ kind_ generosity," she replied smugly and pushed the man away as her crew laughed and jeered at him from the ship. The man's furious words floated to their ears until he was long gone, off to bother some other people loading onto the harbor. Em threw back her head and laughed out loud along with her crew. She sheathed her sword, put her hands on her small waist, and turned to her men.

"Well, we'll be here for two days starting tomorrow, me hearties! So make the most of the rest of this day to eat, drink, and wreak _extra_ havoc on Tortuga and her people!" Em shouted up at them. She got a rousing cheer and many "Arrr's!" as a reply and she laughed once more. In no time, Michael, Ozz, and even Tim was standing in front of her, grinning and waiting to follow her into any mischief that would obviously follow her.

Em chuckled and turned around. "Come on boys, let's have us some fun before we have to get down to business tomorrow," Em told them over her shoulder.

Michael, Ozz, and Tim looked at each other, then at Em's retreating figure before they rushed off to follow her up the path that led into the town. As they passed under the narrow stone archway, loud and raucous sounds of yelling and screaming greeted their ears. Accompanying those sounds were the frequent bangs of pistols and the booms of the occasional cannon fire back down at the harbor. Em and her four young men passed by and around many of the rowdy residents of the Tortugan town that always seemed to never stop fighting. All around as they entered the town square, pirates and even the occasional prostitutes were brawling out in the open.

Em smiled widely and breathed in the comforting smells of the ever-present gun smoke, sweat, rum, and salt from the wind. This was her home away from her little home she made on The Raven. The island of Barbados which she, Michael, and Mr. Drummond had originally come from was just a faded memory, a strange, unfamiliar home Em wanted to forget.

The noise was so deafening to Em's ears that she couldn't even hear Michael and Tim trying to yell from either side of her until she felt Tim's hands place themselves firmly on her shoulders and guided her towards the nearest porch of a menagerie shop where it was slightly quieter.

"Let go of me!" Em snapped and shrugged Tim's big hands off of her.

Tim took a step back, avoiding the barrel filled with assorted junk next to the door, and held up his hands. "Hey, Michael and I have been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes, captain," he apologized.

Em held back a smile. Tim actually looked cute trying not to make her mad at him. Then when she registered what she had just thought, the smile that had threatened to slide onto her lips vanished. "You don't have to call me 'captain', Timmothy McIlrath," she told him with annoyance full in her tone.

When she turned away from him to look at the mayhem (which many of her own crew was now joining) outside the front porch they stood in, Tim's eyes widened in disbelief. He shot Michael a confused look, jerking his head at Em, but Michael only gave him a just as confused shrug. _Was Em . . .?_ The thought hung unfinished in Tim's head, for he did not want to complete it and then have it be false that Em was finally starting to soften on him. Tim smiled widely at that thought, his spirits soaring higher than any good rum would do.

Em turned around just as the huge smile on Tim's face appeared. She gave him a weird look before shaking her head and turning towards the spot on Michael's other side where Ozz should have been but was not. "Where is Ozz?" she demanded.

Michael smirked. "Over yonder having his fun," he replied and jerked his thumb near the small stone archway entrance that they had come through. On one side of the pathway that extended from the stone arch and into the main square was one of the most crowded housing quarters for those pirates staying at Tortuga for just a day or more, but not permanently. In front of that particular housing quarter, on the steps, sat Ozz with a large mug full to the brim with alcohol, and on Ozz's lap sat a notorious prostitute by the name of Scarlett. It was obvious that Ozz was already drunk. His face was nearly as red as his flame of hair, and he was hiccupping a lot as he tried to sweet talk the dark beauty.

Em rolled her eyes at Ozz and at men in general when it comes to a pretty face. She turned to Michael and Tim and then grinned. "Well," she started, "we don't want to be left out on some of the rum, so let's drink and be very merry men!"

* * *

Time had found Em, Michael, Tim, and even Ozz accompanied by Scarlett two hours later in one of the better bars found in Tortuga. They all sat in a corner more or less isolated from the multiple fights and partying happening in the very spacious bar. The building they were in was two stories, the first story dedicated to the bar and the second dedicated for housing paying customers who wanted to spend the night on a lump bed.

"What will this one be, girlie?" Tom the barman asked when Em called him to their table from the bar across the room. Em was in good terms with Tom, having helped him deal with a few scuffles that had happened in his bar a few times in the past. But she still had to pay him whenever she ordered something to drink or for room upstairs.

"Gimme a Bumboo inna Black Jack, Tom!" Em shouted up at the tough-looking man from the seat she sat in. Her words were slightly slurred, for she was just starting to feel the buzzing in her head and the light, happy feeling she got whenever she turned drunk. She was not nearly as horribly drunk as Michael was sitting on her left, sloshing his rum all over himself and laughing 

his head off at the fighting customers. Nor was Em nearly as addled by that same strong brew as Ozz was sitting on Michael's other side across from Em, for he was at this moment trying to pull a now hiccupping drunk Scarlett back onto his lap for a kiss and cuddle.

A large shadow fell upon Em and she grinned up at Tom the bartender. In his right hand was a large mug made of strong leather that was filled full with Bumboo which was slightly watered rum flavored a little bit with sugar and nutmeg. Tom handed her the mug and nodded his head at everyone with a grin to accompany it before he lumbered back to the bar, throwing to the side anyone who got in his way.

"Good ol' Tom, he is!" Em cried and lifted her mug high in the air.

"I say wi' tooost . . no, tost-ah das notta word," Michael muttered under his breath as he also raised his mug in the air. Then at the last moment when Em thought he was too drunk to remember what he was going to say, Michael exclaimed, "Oh, toast! Yeah, toast to our most beautiful, braveful, and courgeousful captain! To Emelia Kraven!"

For a moment, Ozz let go of his hold on Scarlett's thin waist and let her fall unconsciously on the dirty floor as he turned to them and also raised his half-empty mug to acknowledge the toast. "Arrrr!" he cried. "To immortality anna looong life!" he added.

"To Emelia, who's never led us into danger without a nice reward for it too!" Tim shouted and raised his mug to meet theirs. He sat on Em's right, one arm slung over the back of the wooden chair identical to the one they all sat in while the other hand clutching his mug guided it to touch everyone else's for the toast.

Em threw her head back and downed half of her drink in one long gulp before she slammed the large cup onto the table with a great smile on her face. "No, no, me hearties!" she shouted and shook her head. The buzzing feeling was growing and beginning to cloud her mind, after-effects from drinking Bumboo or any alcoholic drink for that matter. "Ye all should be toastin' to The Raven!"

Just then, Ozz broke into an Irish song they have heard many times before and nearly knew by heart.

_"We go to the town,  
To pilfer, ransack, and wreak havoc all around!  
We'll burn all yer homes to the ground!  
Through tussles and fusels,  
Alive, alive-ho!"_

Into the second verse, Michael joined in, swinging his empty mug in the air as he and Ozz swayed in their seats to the song.

_"We'll take all yer booty!  
Then go where the lasses are pretty!  
_

_To life full strife,  
Alive, alive-ho!  
Alive, alive-ho!  
Alive, alive-ho!"_

Em and Tim laughed until they were near to tears at their friends' horrible, but energetic ballads. Then even Em joined in, but this time changed the song to one that everyone in the bar recognized instantly.

_  
"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.  
Drink up me hearties yo ho!  
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.  
Drink up me hearties yo ho!  
__**Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me.**__"_

They went into the second verse of this song, and this time nearly everyone in the bar room was singing along with it.

_  
"We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack.  
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!  
Maraud and embezzle and even hijack.  
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!  
__**Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.  
Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.**__  
We're rascals, scoundrels, villans and knaves.  
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!  
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs!  
Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!"_

Tim watched everything and laughed, never joining in and never getting as drunk as everyone seemed to be. He looked over to his left where Em sat, shouting the lyrics of the song so much that her voice was turning hoarse and, although not as drunk as Michael and Ozz plainly were, she was still fairly enough. Tim laughed as Em suddenly jumped out of her chair, spilling what little of her drink onto the floor. She seemed to be looking for someone, he noticed. Out of curiosity, and a little from jealousy from the way she was searching so intently for the anonymous person, Tim also looked around the bar.

The fighting had stopped momentarily as nearly everyone, the ones that were conscious anyways, was joining in singing along with Michael and Ozz leading them. There didn't seem to be anyone of importance that Em would be looking for.

Tim turned back to Em and saw that she was looking straight at him. He smiled up at her. He was still sober enough to hold a conversation, but that didn't clear up the fact that he still had at least five shots of rum and could feel some of the effects starting on the buzzing feeling in his head.

"What're you looking at, me pretty lassie?" Tim teased. He didn't really expect Em to react kindly to his innocent flirting with her. Actually, he had expected the usually moody female pirate to dump a mug full of rum on his head like she had done the very first time they had met, and so it came as a pleasurable surprise when Em actually sank back down onto her chair and giggled. She must really be that drunk, Tim thought, but he went with it since she was evidently in a good mood. He wouldn't dare take advantage of her. First off, although he was ever zealously watching over her and forever trying to make her love him, Tim did not want to do something as disgraceful as take advantage of Em while she was drunk and she probably wouldn't remember what had happened to her the next day. Last, he did not dare take advantage of her for if she did remember what had happened, he wouldn't be facing just her wrath.

Em giggled again. Somewhere in her clouded mind that had momentarily given way to this uncharacteristically giggling creature, her sober side was becoming furious at herself for flirting with Tim as she was doing right then. So when her left hand placed itself on top of his hand on the table, her sober side practically kicked out the giggling creature from her head and she was more or less back to her normal self.

Em blinked and then took her hand away from Tim's. She bit her bottom lip, confusion filling her up fuller than the alcohol. Not meeting Tim's amused, green eyes, she apologized quietly for her behavior.

Tim shrugged it off, although she didn't see the gesture. He was a little disappointed that she had closed up on him again like she always did if he tried getting closer to her, but hey, it was fun while those five short minutes lasted. "'Ey, that's life - and rum," he added with a wicked grin.

Em chuckled, and it wasn't the rum she had drunk that was doing it anymore. She was sober now, but still felt a little light-headed. She looked at him then and gave him a lopsided smile.

"Aye, life and rum," Em sighed, a little too heavily. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she reprimanded herself severely. You nearly did something you would have definitely regretted!

Tim's grin dropped. He leaned towards her and tipped her face up so her dilated, dark brown eyes met his green ones. "'Ey, don't get down now, captain. We're supposed to be havin' fun, for God's sakes!" he cried and threw up his hands.

Em threw back her head and laughed. "I thought I told you not to call me cap'n, Tim McIlrath!" she cried in mock anger and swatted at his broad shoulder playfully as he rolled his eyes and twirled one finger in the air.

"Aye, aye, Em," Tim joked and laughed along with her.

She didn't know why, after this whole year of trying to evade Tim's ways of trying to get her to fancy him even for a little bit, why she was now looking at Tim in a very different light. She was looking at him, and did not see just her skipper, or just the annoying bile-drinking prig that was trying to take over Jack's place in her heart. At that moment, Em saw him as a man she could _almost_ like; who could carve his very own place in what was left of her heart. To tell the truth, what was left of her heart was very small indeed.

Em didn't know what had triggered it, but she found herself thinking about what Michael had told her back when he was rubbing the potion Tia Dalma gave her for her back: _You either forgive him and then go on with your life without him, or you forgive him and let him come back into your life._

Michael's right, Em thought as she jumped up from her chair for the second time. I will forgive Jack, and I _will_ go on with my life . . . _without him_. She noticed Tim looking up at her with a mixed bemused and curious expression on his face. Em smiled down at him and offered him her hand.

Tim blinked once. Twice. Three times. He slowly looked down at her delicate left hand held out to him in silent invitation. Was this still the rum controlling her actions, or could it possibly be that this was the real thing? Was she really smiling warmly down at him as he took turns staring from her outstretched hand to her beautiful face? _It must be the rum_, Tim thought glumly and shook his head at Em. "Em, drink a cup o' water. That'd clear ya mind. Better yet, I'll get it," he told her and stood up, trying his best not to sway off of his feet from the lack of using his legs for the last three or so hours. He made to walk around Em, but felt her place a firm hand placed on his chest, effectively stopping him right next to her.

Em tilted her head up to him and spoke softly, "I am not that drunk anymore, Tim. I know what I'm doing. I want this. I want _you_."


	13. To Forgive or Not to Forgive?

" . . . I want this. I want _you_."

But did Tim McIlrath want this? Of course, he had been dreaming since the day he had met and been rejected by Emelia Kraven for a moment like this. She was finally there, beside him, looking into his eyes with the ones that have been haunting his sleep since day one. However, Tim did not particularly like some of the circumstances of this moment. One of those circumstances was the fact that Em had just been drunk, and who knows if she still is? This could all be the rum talking. He had to make a decision.

Whether Em thought that Tim was taking too long in making his decision or that she was impatient that he _was_ taking too long, she took matters into her own hands, like she always did with her life. Em brushed Tim's cheek with her left hand, her right on his chest, and turned to face him so that her back was to Michael and Ozz. "You know, and I know, that you want to kiss me, Tim McIlrath," she whispered. "So do it," she coaxed and smiled flirtatiously.

Tim framed her face with his big hands and moved his head down. Em waited with closed eyes for his lips to meet hers, but when she didn't feel him kiss her, her dilated, dark brown eyes snapped open. Tim's face was mere centimeters from hers, poised to place his lips on hers, but yet he didn't.

"Do you truly love me?" Tim murmured. The movement of his lips forming words brushed delicately multiple times on Em's own lips and she heard a soft sigh escape from them. Em suddenly felt like she was now just an observer, detached from this body that seemed to be moving on its own accord. This wasn't her. She knew that she did not truly love Tim, but that didn't seem to stop the body that was hers from replying, "Yes, yes I do." Em wanted to scream, _No, wait! I don't love you! I don't!_ But if she tried, and she saw from how the body's lips tried to say something multiple times but didn't, the words Michael told her stopped her own words: _You either forgive him and then go on with your life without him, or you forgive him and let him come back into your life. _

Tim's heart seemed to leap, but he wouldn't let himself get too hopeful just yet. "And this is really your heart that is saying this and not the rum?" he pressed.

Em wasn't the observer anymore. She was back in her body again and was being posed with the question. She bit her bottom lip in a delicate-looking way that sent Tim's pounding furiously from the innocently confused look she gave him. Em looked down and Tim's heart almost broke from the disappointment, but Em's soft words (despite it being so deafeningly loud in the bar) reached to his ears.

"I can't honestly say that I love you, Tim, but I know that I have to move on from someone who obviously does not feel for me as you do." She looked back up at him, and he saw that her eyes were wet, yet no tear had fallen. "This isn't the rum talking. Yes, I feel the buzzing feeling in my head, but I'm still thinking clearly." _I hope so._ The thought came unbidden in her head from her conscience. Em bit her bottom lip again.

Tim smiled softly and pulled Em into his arms, earning a shocked look from the dark beauty. "That's all I want to hear," he told her and then gave her the most passionate kiss he could give.

Em closed her eyes and a tear slowly trailed down her cheek from the corner of her eye. The tear was for her regret that she might be just leading Tim on. It was true what she told him about moving on from Jack, well, that might not be true either. She did not think she can ever move on from Jack. She forgave him, but she couldn't move on. What am I getting myself into? Em wondered as she deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around Tim's neck.

* * *

" . . . and so's he tells her, 'I din't lose me hand from a croc, ye daft woman! I lost me hand from me ma 'cuz I stole a drink from her rum!'" Everyone within earshot that heard Ozz's joke erupted with laughter. Some were so amused by the joke that tears were actually streaming down their faces, but then again, that could have been the work of being drunk by rum.

Michael was banging his mug repeatedly onto the table as he shook with laughter. Once he calmed down a little, he brought the mug to his lips but did not feel any rum fall into his open mouth. He took the mug away from his mouth and looked inside. It was empty. Feeling a little put out, he looked over his shoulder towards the bar and tried to make his woozy voice heard over the din, "Oy Tom! Canya give a man summore rum over here! Tom!"

Michael gave up and blew a strand of his short blonde hair out from his eyes as he placed the empty mug on the table. He turned to Em, asking as he did so, "Em, canya call Tom over witta-?" The sight meeting Michael's eyes shocked him so much that he totally abandoned what he was going to tell his captain. The said captain was at that moment in time kissing most passionately with her skipper. "_Holy Mary, Mother of God!_" Michael exclaimed at the top of his lungs, but his oath was not heard by the oblivious couple, nor heard by anyone else around with the exception of Ozz.

"Whoaaaa," Ozz also exclaimed as he tried to steadily hold the sight of Em and Tim wrapped in each other's arms and more or less trying to suck the life out of the other. When that image began to split into doubles, he lolled his head towards Michael's general direction, earning himself a blurred vision of a blob of blonde hair. Ozz blinked and squint his eyes until every contrast and line of Michael's head were in place. Michael's previous expression of shock was replaced now with a troubled look as he stared across the table at Em and Tim. Ozz rolled his head (though he had meant to roll his eyes), and said, "I can't see-"

"Because yer drunk, mate," Michael muttered under his breath. Michael wasn't drunk anymore because he had been shocked sober and wasn't feeling his very best right now; whether it was from the horrible after-effects of consuming all that rum or by the sight of the couple kissing in front of him, he didn't know.

"-why yer so worried that Em and Tim are snoggin', mate. I mean, ye've been practically encouraging them for the last week or two or so," Ozz told him. He was swaying slightly in his seat and his red eyes (another effect from drinking so much rum) were taking on a droopy kind of look.

Ozz was right in a sense where Em was concerned, partially anyways. Michael had been encouraging her to forgive Jack Sparrow and to rethink her feelings for Timmothy McIlrath, but Michael encouraging Tim to pursue Em as Ozz thought he was doing was entirely wrong. Michael was actually trying to _discourage_ Tim from Em. So whose side was Michael on? Didn't he want Em and Tim together or not? Well one thing was certain: Whichever side he chose, above all, he wanted Emelia to be happy.

He watched as from across the table, Em pulled away from Tim and saw their short exchange of dialogue where it seemed that Tim was controlling it. His sky-blue eyes watched carefully as Em held Tim by the wrist and then they both started for the stairs leading to the rooms on the second floor of the bar house.

_You either forgive him and then go on with your life without him . . . _I guess Em's taking my advice to heart after all, Michael thought. Then he groaned. I was actually _hoping_ that she'd choose the latter of my advice. Michael hunched forward over the table and ran a hand through his hair. He was really confused, even more so by the rum which was addling his thoughts so he couldn't think very clearly.

However, he did recognize that the plain truth was, despite how sometimes he told Em to move on from Jack, Michael had always wanted her to never let go of the rogue pirate from her heart because he knew that Jack Sparrow was the better man than Tim McIlrath. And from what Michael had heard from Jack last night when Em had demanded the true reason he had left her, Jack Sparrow was obviously the better man.

Michael shook his head like a dog trying to shake itself dry. "I'm outta here," he muttered and pushed himself up to his feet. He felt the room spin and placed a hand on the table to steady himself. With his other hand, he grabbed hold onto the side of his head. It was pounding painfully, dulling his senses. "Bloody hell," Michael cried low. He turned his head slowly to Ozz. "C'mon mate, let's get outta here. I needsta' think, an' you needa sober up," he told Ozz.

The red haired Irishman tilted his head up at Michael and a scowl appeared across his pale face. "Aw, ye party pooper," he grumbled. Ozz looked down at the floor on his other side and told the deeply sleeping woman that was Scarlett, "Sorry lassie, but I've gotta make a rain check. Dun't worry, I'll still be here fer two mar days." Ozz stood up too quickly onto his feet and he fell back over his chair, landing unconscious on the floor beside Scarlett.

Michael shook his head, and then regretted it when it worsened the pain in his head. "Ugh," he grunted. He picked up Ozz's half-empty tankard and threw it over both Ozz and Scarlett saying as he did so, "Wake up, ya barnacle head!" Ozz woke up instantly with an angry splutter, but Scarlett slept on. Helping his swearing friend back onto his feet, Michael led him towards the bar where Tom was waiting for them with two glasses filled with water for each.

"Ya sure this wun't kill us, Tom?" Michael asked skeptically as he picked up the glass and held it up to his eyes. Beside him, Ozz didn't even look at the glass twice and downed the contents.

Tom gestured to Ozz. "He's not dead, is he?" he asked.

Michael grinned half-heartedly and drank his own glass down.

"That'll be twelve shillings ye both owe me," Tom added.

Michael nearly choked on his water and Ozz spat what was left of his all over the dingy-looking pirate on his other side. "T-Twelve sh-shillings?!" they gasped as they tried to catch their breath.

"That's outrageous!" Ozz roared and pounded the glass he held onto the counter, cracking it on the side.

"No! What ye just did to me fine glass was!" Tom shouted and pointed to the broken thing.

Michael held up his hands and waved them in between Ozz and Tom, who both looked like they could draw their swords at any moment. "Hold! Hold! Tom, what're ya talking about _twelve shillings_? Can't ya at least half it down? I mean, after all the times we helped you keep the peace in yer bar!" Michael negotiated, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Tom placed both of his hands on his counter and thought about it for a moment. "Aye, then," he decided. "Six shillings and not a pence less!" he added threateningly.

"Aye," Michael replied quickly and counted the money out from the small pouch tied to his belt. He handed the dirty gold coins to Tom and nodded as a departing gesture before starting with Ozz behind him towards the exit.

"Now hold there, ye blaggard!" a rough voice shouted from behind Ozz. The two young men turned around just outside the doors leading outside. The same dingy-looking pirate that Ozz had spat some of his water on stood in front of them, still damp in some places on his grimy white shirt. The pirate raised up his fist. "Yer gonna pay fer spitting all over me!" he growled.

"Oh, for the love of Mike!" Ozz exclaimed.

Ten minutes later, Ozz and Michael were being hurtled out of Tom's bar and onto the streets of Tortuga.

"It's a bloody good thing yer a doctor Ozz, 'cuz I'mma kill you!" Michael shouted as he struggled to pick himself off from the pavement.

"Would me sayin' ye were great at helpin' me out, help?" Ozz asked as he rolled from his stomach and onto his back.

"No!" Michael shouted and threw himself at a screaming Ozz.

* * *

Em and Tim raced up the stairs and ran through the second floor of Tom's bar house, opening the doors and seeing if any of them were available. They were all laughs and little kisses here and there, no thought in the world. Tim pulled Em over in a corner and kissed her again, running his hands up and down her sides and sending her shivers down her spine. The kisses were passionate, but to Em's disappointment, had none of the fire and not as breathtaking as any of Jack Sparrow's were. And every time she looked into Tim's dark green eyes, she didn't feel herself get lost and mesmerized in them as she always did with Jack's.

Em pulled away from Tim and bit her bottom lip again. No, this wasn't the time to think of Jack; not the time to compare them. They needed to find a room quickly so she could lose herself in passion's embrace and forget about the mundane things in her life. Em placed her left hand on the wall and slid it out as she pulled Tim's lips onto hers once more with her other hand. Em's left hand fingertips felt a cool, metal object and she pulled away from Tim again as she jiggled the doorknob. Tim followed the path of her left hand, and when he spotted the door next to them, he leaned over, placed his big hand on hers and turned the knob. The door swung open and they looked inside. It was empty.

Em turned her head towards Tim and gave him a seductive smirk as she proceeded to pull him by his front shirt into the room. With one foot, Tim kicked the door closed and took control as he placed both hands on Em's thin waist and guided her to the queen sized bed off to the left of the small room. Once she was on top of the bed and he on top of her, multiple articles of clothing (and some weapons) were flung to the ground. Em placed her hand on her head and then froze as she felt the worn leather tricorn hat just above her head. Without a word, Em pushed Tim off of her, snatched the hat into her hands and jumped out of the bed. Her eyes were wide with shock as the reality of what she was about to do sunk in. She clutched Jack's hat close to her naked breasts, covering them. She was clothed only in her leather pants, which hung loose on her hips without her belt supporting it up.

Em's wide, dark brown eyes turned slowly to Tim. He was already fully undressed. Tim was propped up on one arm and was looking up at her with lust and confusion in his eyes. Em focused only on his face and clutched Jack's hat tighter to her chest, to her heart.

"Do you want this?" Tim demanded. He didn't want to seem so harsh, but he didn't want any of this to mean nothing come the next morning. "Emelia, do you want this?" he repeated. He looked at the hat she was holding and hated the sight of it for some reason. He looked back up at her face and instantly had the breath taken from his lungs as he beheld her beauty, enhanced more so by the small moonlight coming from the window behind him. Tim held out his free hand to her. 

"Come here, Emelia," he coaxed softly.

Em did not want to do this to him. She didn't want to lie to him like this. And this was going to be the ultimate lie any woman can do to a man who seemed to love her but she didn't feel the same way. Em dropped Jack's hat to the ground at her feet and stepped over it as she moved slowly towards the bed.

"Don't ever call me Emelia," she whispered. Her pants slowly slid down her legs and revealed the rest of herself. She stepped out of the fabric and joined Tim on the bed.


	14. The Morning After

The morning sun rose and woke Em from her sleep. She was awake, conscious more like, but she kept her eyes closed shut. Em lay on her left side; the side that made her face the little open window that let in the morning rays. Em felt her eyelids try to open themselves up by their own, but Em kept them shut. She knew that once she opened her eyes, she couldn't pretend that the nearly overwhelming weariness she felt wasn't from making love the night before with a man she had no love for. She didn't want the illusion she conjured up in her mind to not just be an illusion: that beside her on the bed was the sleeping, warm body of Jack Sparrow and not Tim McIlrath.

That's why it was such a blow to her mind and heart when she eventually caved in to her body's demands to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Tim's peaceful face. He looked like an angel laying there next to her, the sunrays across his face and his wild dirt-blonde hair framing all sides of that angelic face was too much for Em to bear. She closed her eyes tight and rolled onto her other side, away from that innocent face.

Em sniffed softly and a tear rolled down her cheek and onto the palm of her hand. Em regretted everything she did last night. Everything. Flashes of what happened in that very room came into her mind like a camera taking quick, unprofessional pictures. Em groaned inwardly as she remembered it all. She had not been as passionate in her love making as Tim obviously was. In fact, her own heart had not been so much in it that she had let Tim take the full reigns last night while she kept her eyes shut tight and uttered no sound except for the occasional moan that escaped her bruised lips. Tim was too into "making love" to her that he never noticed how his partner wasn't responding much to his sexual advances.

From the window behind her, Em could just make out the cries of a far away rooster, signaling that dawn had truly arrived. Slowly so that Tim wouldn't wake, Em eased out of the bed and stood up. She stretched silently, wincing at every _pop _and throwing a wary look over her shoulder just to make sure it didn't wake Tim. Em then began to put her clothes back on, first with her pants, and then went from there.

I didn't think we got _this_ carried away undressing, Em thought a few minutes later as she crawled upon the cold wooden floor. She was generally fully clothed with the exception of her left boot. Em lay flat on her stomach and looked around. Then she smiled when she caught sight of a worn leather boot at the far corner of the room from where she was. Em got to her feet and silently walked over towards the corner, snatching the boot up and then placing her foot inside. Em swung around and encountered an oval mirror hanging just above the place where she found her boot and took the time to examine herself.

The face looking back at her looked much worn out-her face. Her dark brown eyes were sad, and should be. Her long, raven hair hung limply around her body with an oily kind of sheen to it. Em ran a hand through her locks to try to fix them up a little. She knew she reeked of passion but didn't give a damn. She'd just have to jump in the ocean to take it away.

Em turned her back on the mirror and looked over at the bed. Tim was still sleeping. A sorrowful kind of smile touched Em's lips. Her eyes moved from the bed to the right and they landed on an 

almost forgotten worn, leather tricorn hat on the table next to the wall. How could I? Em thought as she moved quickly towards Jack's hat. It pained her to look at it. It was Jack's hat, and the reminder made her heart even heavier than it was already. The hat itself felt like a stone as she lifted it slowly off the table with both her hands. Though she shouldn't have been, Em was feeling very guilty all of a sudden as she placed the hat on her head once more. She didn't feel guilty that she had taken something of Jack's. Somehow, Em had the notion in her head that she had betrayed Jack by sleeping with Tim, with another man that wasn't Jack Sparrow.

Em took one last look over her shoulder at Tim, before she sighed and walked out of the room.

Em lumbered down the steps of Tom's bar. She looked around at the first story bar room. It was nearly empty except for those who had gone unconscious the night before and Tom had not bothered to throw them out. Tom didn't keep the bar open this early in the morning. He liked to open up at around mid-afternoon where he was certain there'd be lots of paying customers.

Speaking of the devil himself, Em thought as she walked towards the bar. Tom was there, of course, wiping up broken glass and spills on the counter top. His short, plump wife, Juliet (who was not much of a looker), was counting up the money they had gotten the night before right next to her tall and slim husband. They were an opposite kind of couple. Tom was like a dormant volcano waiting to erupt if he got the chance, but Juliet was always pleasant and agreeable to anyone.

I still can't see that, Em added as she plopped onto a stool right in front of Tom. She sighed heavily. The "morning after" sickness of being drunk was finally kicking in, but Em couldn't deal with it right now since she and her crew had so much to do still. They had to start gathering up supplies like food, rum, and things like gun powder. The list went on and on and it hurt Em's head to think about it at the moment. She groaned.

The sound alerted Tom and Juliet to their only conscious customer and they both looked up from what they were doing.

"Tsk, tsk, Em! You shouldn't be up so early!" Juliet chided gently as she slid off the stool she had been sitting on the other side of the bar. Standing on her feet, the bar nearly reached up to her large breasts. What she lacked in height, she gained back with breast size. Juliet bustled out from the bar and towards the kitchen muttering under her breath about poor health habits of growing women.

When his short wife was out of sight, Tom leaned close to Em until their faces were half a foot apart. "So ye finally gave into ol' Tim McIlrath, huh?" he said more than asked.

Em grimaced and groaned again, this time even louder. She propped her arms on top of the bar counter and she let her head fall into them. "I should have never done it." Her muffled voice just barely penetrated her arms and made Tom lean closer. "Why didn't you stop me, mate?"

Tom stood back and grinned. "'Cause I thought you two were havin' a good time without me interferin'," he told her smartly.

Em brought her head up and gave him an evil look. "Bastard," she mumbled. Em sat up straight and looked around the bar room, mostly at the bunch of unconscious bodies lying around the place.

"Yer not gonna find any of yer crew mates here," Tom told her, for he knew who she was looking for. "I'd have sent them to The Raven last night, if I did find any."

Em turned back to Tom and gave him a lop-sided smile. "My gratitude," she said and then groaned again. Her stomach was tossing and turning like a ship caught in a nasty wave in the sea. It was a matter of time before she had to empty out her stomach. She could barely keep her eyelids open too. Though the lighting in the room was at its dimmest, it still hurt her eyes and made her head pound. "So what's the total, Tom? How much do I owe you this time?" she asked. She wanted to puke at that moment. Her normally strong voice was now sounding feeble. I am never going to drink myself drunk ever again, she vowed.

"Not countin' the one night boarding (which I'm making Tim pay up instead of you), ye owe me least fifteen shillings," Tom told her promptly.

Em winced at the high price but accepted the charge as she counted out the gold and pushed them into Tom's outstretched hand. Having done her due, Em slid off the stool and made sure she still had Jack's hat on her head. She looked at Tom again and noticed the skeptical look on his face as he looked up at the hat on her head.

"Yeah, it's Jack's hat," she replied without him needing to ask.

Tom leaned back and whistled low. "He must be pissed," he remarked and then grinned.

For the first time that morning since she woke up, Em did too. She nodded Tom a departing gesture and walked towards the exit, saying over her shoulder, "Yeah, but that dirty rascal got me firearm, too." She chuckled as she stepped outside, Tom's hearty guffaws trailing right after her.

The bright morning light hit Em so hard that she almost didn't catch herself in time as she stumbled ungraciously out from under the porch that connected to the entrance of Tom's bar. Em shut her eyes tight and took deep breaths as she steadied herself on an unknown wooden post with both her hands. Her eyes streamed with tears and the pounding in her head was returning with painful vengeance. Blindly, Em stumbled her way through the streets, bumping into many disgruntled passerby until she was shoved into an empty alleyway. Em leaned against the jaded wall and tipped Jack's hat over her eyes to shield them better from the harsh sun.

Then, as if an unknown force wanted to punish her some more, she saw flashes of last night with Tim and it became too overwhelming. Em turned around, braced herself against the wall with both hands and threw up. Tears mixed with her stomach acid on the ground and painful sobs 

clashed with the sounds she made as she barfed. Em brought her left hand to her head and with that hand, clutched onto Jack's hat for comfort.

When she was sure she was done, tears and puke and all, Em let go of Jack's hat and pushed off from the wall. She tripped back and slammed her back against the wall on the other side of the alleyway. Em coughed violently as she let herself slide down to the ground. Tears started sliding down her cheeks once more. Was this God punishing her? Or the devil, Satan himself? But for what?

_Noo . . . no. No more._ Em wanted to be numb, so she didnt have to feel the physical and emotional and mental pain she was in. She didn't want to feel this overwhelming guilt inside of her anymore. She didnt want to feel this gaping sense of loss and loneliness anymore. She didn't want to feel anything. She wanted to be numb. Like ice. Em laid her head back on the wall and looked up mindlessly at the blue sky above, wiping the spit from her chin. She couldn't afford to be like this. She was a captain of a crew that needed her as much as she needed them, and she needed to be strong for their sakes. For her own sake, too. Plus, they were so close to being immortal that there was no way Em could abandon her crew and ship at this crucial time.

After wiping the wet trails her tears had left on her face, Em slowly got to her feet with the support of the wall behind her. Not looking once at the mess she had made on the other side of the alley, she stepped out and began to make her way back to the harbor The Raven was docked at.

"Ahoy cap'n! Welcome back!" Mr. Drummond called out from the lonely place of the crow's nest. He seemed to be the only one of Em's crew that was awake at this hour, but that's because Mr. Drummond had long stopped being affected by rum and any other sorts of alcohol.

Em tipped Jack's hat back and shielded her eyes as she looked up at him from down on the dock. "Ahoy, Mr. Drummond," she replied grimly. "You are the only one awake?" Stupid question, stupid question, she thought immediately.

Mr. Drummond nodded and then began to make his way down the rope ladder. Once his feet hit the main deck, he hurried to bring down the wooden ladder. Em watched him with interest. Mr. Drummond still knew how to move like her youngest crew members, which included her and Michael, although he hobbled a lot. This old, but still strong, man knew how to command a quiet respect among her crew, but Em held him in much more respect; this old man who had brought her into this world.

"Ay, milady, you be coming up anytime soon?" Mr. Drummond asked from directly above her.

Em shook her head from her musings and cracked a grin. Even in old age, he still can give a person decent cheek like a teen could. She walked up the ladder and then smiled genuinely at her oldest crew member. "So how is the crew doing?" she asked as she helped Mr. Drummond lift aboard the wooden ladder.

"All moaning and groaning in their sleep, cap'n," Mr. Drummond replied. They secured the ladder amongst their row boats and then stepped back to take a breather. The sun was high up now.

Em turned to Mr. Drummond. "Well, let's wake them up! We have much to do today, matey!" Em said cheerfully. She started walking towards her quarters. "I'll go through my office," she told him over her shoulder.

"Aye," Mr. Drummond chuckled with a slight wheeze and hobbled towards the stairs leading to the lower decks.

Em shut her double doors behind her. Reaching into her left coat pocket, she extracted the worn out Fountain of Youth map and tossed in onto her writing desk before going to work on moving her reclining couch away from the hidden hatch. Em unlocked it and threw it open before descending down its rickety steps. She made sure to make as much noise as possibly while going down to the crew's quarters, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Alrighty men! Wakey, wakey, for we have to prepare for our journey to _immortality_!"

"Arr, ye all heard yer cap'n! Wake up ya bilge-sucking dogs!" Mr. Drummond called from the other side of the deck.

"I want you all to gather up on the main deck as soon as you can! Any who are caught puking on the floor by Mr. Drummond will be held responsible for cleaning their mess. Is that right, Mr. Drummond?" Em called to the old man from a few yards ahead of her.

Mr. Drummond stopped trying to shake Godsworth awake long enough to grin and nod in the affirmative.

From the cot she stood at the foot of, Michael groaned loudly for her benefit. "Blimey, Emelia! Can't this wait until noon?" he complained and stuck his head under his lumpy pillow.

Em strode over to him in between his cot and Ozz's and snatched away his pillow. "It's already noon, you numbskull!" she cried above the grumbles of protest of being woken up, but it was in a teasing kind of way that she said it.

"There better be a damn good reason fer wakin' us up!" Ozz grumbled as he jumped to his feet. Just as his feet touched the ground, Ozz closed his eyes and then fell back on his bed, unconscious.

"Someone, give him a shock!" Em yelled over her shoulder.

Briggen, who slept in the cot across from Ozz's, strode over to Ozz. Without a second's hesitation, he pulled out his pistol from the inside of his coat and fired it.

The gun shot cut through the air and echoed throughout the deck. Frightened by it, every man of Em's crew had their own pistol drawn out and pointed at Briggen.

Ozz, who had instinctively if not consciously had his pistol out too, slowly opened his bright green eyes. They widened seeing a smoking end of a pistol hovering over him at least two feet away. His eyes shot up and landed on Briggen's face. "Ye could 'ave killed me!" Ozz roared. His hands roamed over his body to feel a hole or a damp area where blood would have been forming, but when he looked at himself, he was relieved to be alright. Ozz turned his head to the left and his eyes widened this time in anger when he saw the small black hole a few inches from his head on the bed. Ozz sat up and yelled, "Ye shot me cot!"

Now everyone was awake and highly alert. Em looked at straw-colored hair Briggen and caught his peculiar seaweed colored eyes. "My gratitude, mate," she told him emotionlessly. She felt more than saw her crew put away their pistols, but saw more than felt Briggen's ease return to him once the pistols were gone. Then a grin split her face. "But next time, try a bucket o' water," she added.

Briggen laughed along with everyone else, even though the joke was on him.

Em turned to the rest of her crew. "Everyone on the main deck!" she yelled and then made towards the stairs leading up to her Captain's Quarters. "And no keeping me waiting!" she added over her shoulder.


	15. Running Errands and Sneaking Aboard

Em stood on top of the poop deck next to the large, wooden steering wheel. Fresh ocean breezes whipped around her long hair in all directions and Em breathed in deeply as she pulled Jack's hat over her eyes to shade it from the sun. She was feeling her old self again, although she could have been better without the faint thumping coming from her head. She surveyed the open sea and the various ships and boats coming in and out of Tortuga's port. Em heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs, but did not turn around.

"Em?" It was Michael. "Everyone is waiting for you on the main deck." Man, why is it so bright out here? he thought and put a hand over his blue eyes.

Em turned around and saw Michael saluting to her. Then she remembered; sensitive eye sight from the sun. "I hope you don't get blind from the light," she said wryly. She walked towards the ledge overlooking the main deck below and placed both hands upon the banister. Every one of her crew was all gathered down below. A few of them had a sleepy or sick look upon their faces, but other than them, everyone else looked alert and curious as to why they were called up.

Em cupped her hands around her mouth. "Ahoy, me hearties," Em shouted. That quickly got their attention and the various noises they had been making ceased as they looked up at their captain. "I dont think any of you remember what I told you before you all went into town to have your fun, eh?" she asked in a light tone, so they knew she wasn't mad at them in any way. Yet.

Em continued, "Well, to remind you, I told you that we are staying here for two days, counting this day. Today, we are going to start preparing for our journey." Em straightened up and put her hands on her hips as she stared her men down. Then, she started getting them to their work. Some men would be in charge of going to Tom's bar and ordering kegs of rum, then bringing them back to the ship. Others would see to it that their arms were all fully quipped and that their stocks like gunpowder and oil were replenished. The list and chores went on and on. The few that haven't been appointed any in-town chores would set to work on The Raven; maintenance work like scrubbing the decks and cleaning out the storage rooms down below for spoils.

Em turned to Michael, whom she had not given any work yet. Her voice was hoarse from all that shouting, so it was raspy when she told him, "You'll be watching over the men here."

Michael nodded. He watched Em made her way down the stairs. "Where are you going?" he called after her.

Em stopped stepped off the last step and looked off to her right where the harbor and town lay. She slowly looked over her shoulder and met his eyes; her own unreadable to him. "I'm going to the market," she said shortly.

Michael nodded again.

Em touched Jack's hat in a small salute and then walked towards the wooden plank that led to the harbor below.

Tortuga was very different during the day than it was during the night. At night, the only things being sold were weapons, gunpowder, and most important of all, drinks of any kind. Not including with what the prostitutes were _selling_. Also, there were fewer brawls in the day time than the night since very few were drunk in the day. During the day, Tortuga was just like any regular commerce-regulating island with the exception that it also sold many black market items and weapons to the public.

Early afternoon was just starting to swing in as Em walked into the town. Here and there, she occasionally saw glimpses of her crew doing the errands she had ordered. Knowing she had her own few errands to do, Em walked into the main square and then took a sharp right turn towards the nearest alley.

Passing various vendors who tried to sell her their stock (including a nasty-looking shriveled eyeball), she kept her head down and her eyes wary of all her surroundings. Every time she caught even a glimpse of dirt-blonde hair of any man, Em ducked her head even lower and walked a little quicker. She was avoiding Tim, of course. She did not want to have to tell him yet that what had happened last night was just a fluke; a fluke from an unsure heart and a most likely drunken mind.

Am I not such a _grand_ lady? Em thought wryly as she stepped out of the alley and into the open. It was another section of the town where it was dedicated to the blacksmith trade. With all the pirates flooding into Tortuga with their swords and cannons, this section was heavily depended on.

With a cautious look thrown over her shoulder, Em walked towards the smithy with the wooden sign over the front door that had a symbol of a hammer and a sword crossing over each other on it. There were two parts of the shop. There was the half that held all the display of items inside a cramped room, and then other half was the actual smithy itself where all the items were made. The actual smithy looked like an open barn where a farmer would house their horses with a counter at the front. Beyond the counter was where the action of making the items such as swords, pistol parts, and ironically even horse shoes took place.

As Em drew closer to the counter, she noticed that the familiar, loud metallic sounds of hammer molding searing hot metal that came from all the other smithies was absent from the inside of this shop. While other people would think something was wrong, Em wasn't those other people. A small smile touched her lips as she ducked under the counter and entered into the back of Haggerd Meatle's shop.

"Good to be seeing you again, Haggerd," Em greeted loudly as she stopped in front of the large man leaning over his work bench.

The blacksmith named Haggerd grimaced from behind the masses of his thin, greasy black hair that fell onto his bearded face like curtains. It was obvious that he had a really bad hangover, which was what Em was hoping for. One of Haggerd's hands left its place on the work bench and pushed back his hair so that it slicked back on his head.

"Oh, it be you, Em," Haggerd grunted once he recognized the long haired pirate. His words seemed to rumble from the depths of his very broad chest like thunder. Haggerd's bushy black eyebrows scrunched together in scrutiny. The eyebrows were so bushy that they totally covered his eyes, yet he still could see; somehow. "From what I remember last night, you drank yer fill in Tom's bar. How come I see no hangover about you either?" he demanded. His hangovers made him very irritable.

Don't remind me, Em thought dryly. My headache does that for me. Even now, she still felt faint painful thumps on her left temple that reminded her she still hadn't fully recovered from her own hangover.

"I need to know what the weather's going to be like for the next few weeks," she told him. Among being one of the most acknowledged blacksmiths in this section of the town, Haggerd Meatle had a knack for having a pretty accurate prediction on the weather, and even more so when he was at his worse hangover.

Haggerd groaned and sank into a wooden chair behind him that seemed so small for one as large as he. His body was muscularly built thanks to, and because of, his profession. "Good weather, next few weeks," he mumbled. His hand groped around until it snatched up what it was trying to find; a bucket of water.

Em jumped back in time as Haggerd suddenly dumped its contents all over him, splashing water everywhere. "Anything else?" Em demanded, ignoring the droplets of water that ran down her boots.

Haggerd nodded and winced from the motion. "Terrible, terrible storm coming," he said. "Hurricane season coming close," he added. Then he grabbed at his head and groaned, "Ohh, my head!"

"Do you know when the storm is coming?" Em asked in a gentler tone. She didn't want Haggerd to pass out before she was done questioning him.

"No," Haggerd replied. "But it'd be coming from the east, and gonna be visiting the north."

"Not around the islands here?" Em asked. In the back of her mind, she was slightly unnerved by this prediction. "Haggerd?" But before her eyes, Haggerd gave a last groan and then slumped unconsciously in his seat.

_Dammit_, Em thought. She was inclined to throw another bucket of water over the blacksmith, but thought it wouldn't be the best idea if it was just going to make Haggerd very mad when he woke up. Besides, that would most likely have failed because Haggerd seemed to be out cold. Nothing would wake him up now. Having accomplished most of what she wanted to know, Em turned away from Haggerd and made her way towards the counter. As soon as she emerged from underneath the counter, Em bumped into someone.

"'Ey! Watch where you are going!" The voice was male, and from the bumbling accent, it belonged to someone from the far away land of India.

Em straightened up and heard a gasp from the man in front of her. "Em Kraven?" he exclaimed.

Now she recognized that voice. "Leech?" she questioned. She looked up at the dark skinned Moor. Leech was one of Jack Sparrow's crew members. "What in the blazes are you doing here?" she demanded. And since he was here, did that mean Jack was in Tortuga also? However, the pirate's attention was on something coming from behind Em. Then suddenly, a hand grasped Em's left arm, turning her around so that her eyes met familiar dark green ones. "Tim?" she exclaimed. Then she remembered Leech and spun around. Leech had disappeared.

The eyelid of her left eye slightly twitching from aggravation, she turned back to face Tim McIlrath. "What did you do that for?" she yelled. The small pounding in her left temple was pounding faster, wracking painfully throughout her head.

Tim ignored her question and pulled her into his arms, sweeping Em up in a kiss. Last night, that kiss would have actually taken her breath away, but now, it repulsed her slightly. She pushed away from Tim and slapped him hard. "Why did you do _that_ for?" she demanded. Em could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. Passerby and even blacksmiths in the nearby smithies were watching the scene.

Tim rubbed his red cheek, but did not feel any ill will towards Em, even though he should be. "I did not see you when I woke up," he said softly. "Where did you go?"

Em exhaled her breath slowly and regained her calm. She straightened up to her fullest, but even with Jack's hat, still did not quite reach up to his broad shoulders. This was the moment she had been avoiding. She looked him bravely in the eye. "I-"

"Why are you wearing that hat?" Tim spoke up suddenly before she even started what she wanted to say.

Em was taken aback by the abruptness of the question and of the angry tone in his voice. She immediately went on the defensive for Jack's hat. "And why is it of your concern?" she shot back.

"Because it looks dreadful on you," Tim snapped. He recognized that hat, even if he hadn't before now. It was Jack Sparrow's hat. Why hadn't he recognized it before, and why did Em have it?

Em stiffened and coldly glared up at him. "Even if it does, I will keep wearing it-whether _you_ like it or not," she added.

Tim shook his head and the angry expression on his face melted away as he stared at Em now with disbelief. She was impossible! But for their new relationship's sake, he would learn to tolerate her.

As if she had been reading his thoughts, Em also relinquished her anger and sighed deeply. "Mayhap we could talk in private?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer, she led him by the sleeve to a nearby, deserted alley. She let go of him and paced the short length of the alley in front of a bewildered Tim.

"What's wrong?" he asked and snatched her up in his arms. He tried to kiss her again, but Em pushed away from him roughly like she did before. "What is wrong with you, Em?" he asked, this time in annoyance.

Em faced him and then dove headfirst into the impending storm. "What happened last night . . . was nothing to me," she tried to explain.

Time seemed to freeze all activity and noise around Tim as he stared dumbfounded down at Em. "What?" he asked, hoping he had heard wrong.

Em took another deep breath. She was trying her best not to look away from Tim, lest she seem guilty of what she was doing; and she really was. "I'm trying to say that-" she bit her bottom lip, "-I'm sorry that I led you on last night."

Her words slowly sunk in, and when they did, Em found herself being grabbed on both arms by Tim's vice-like grip. She blinked up at his angry green eyes. "Let go of me," she told him as calmly as she could.

"No!" Tim shouted in her face. His own face was turning slightly red from his rage. "You bloody siren! Leading my heart and then breaking it once you thought you had it in your clutches!"

"I did not mean to!" Em started, but was cut off by the harsh laugh that escaped Tim's lips.

"Didn't mean to, you say? Well, you did!"

"I don't love you, Tim McIlrath," Em quickly told him, before he could say anything else. "I never did, and never can! Don't you see? My heart has been taken, so there will never be any room for _any_ other man!"

Tim's eyes slid up to Jack's hat and he even glared at it before returning to glare at her. "I _do_ see," he growled and threw her roughly to the side. Em was barely able to catch herself on the brick wall from falling. "Fine! Have your _precious_, good-for-nothing pirate, Jack Sparrow!" Tim spat and did just that at Em's feet. "But mark my words, Emelia Kraven, you may not love me now, but you _will_ one day!" he vowed before storming off.

Em slowly pushed herself from the wall and straightened her clothes. "Even after that, he still '_loves_' me?" she muttered in disbelief. This is not love anymore. This is madness! Obsession, even! What does it take to get it through his thick head?! Must be his wild hair, she thought in dry humor. Em sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. It was mid-afternoon, and she still had some errands to run.

_I hope Tim leaves The Raven, but I doubt it_, she thought sadly as she began to trudge back into the blacksmith section of town. _Only the cursed soul Davey Jones himself could make _Tim's _soul at rest now._ In the back of Em's mind, she was slightly worried. Tim was still her skipper, and it wasn't likely that he'd really leave.

So what would happen now?

* * *

"'Ey Jack! I've spotted Tortuga ahead!" the lookout called down to the poop deck from his place in the crow's nest of the Black Pearl.

Jack gave him an imperceptible nod and lovingly patted the Pearl's large steering wheel. "Good girl," he murmured. He never had a doubt that his ship would reach Tortuga in two days, being the fastest ship in the whole Caribbean. They would have reached Tortuga yesterday, but they had a little "mishap" on the way that included a merchant boat on its way to San Juan. In a louder, more abrupt tone, Jack told Mr. Gibbs to get the crew to docking in a few minutes.

"Aye, aye, Jack," Gibbs replied and hurried away.

Jack shielded his dark eyes with one hand from the late afternoon sun. The warm Caribbean heat was slowly dropping as the sun did the same. As he felt the worn fabric his red bandana was made of, he cursed inwardly for getting his hat taken away. No matter. They were arriving at Tortuga that very moment, and Jack knew that Emelia Kraven was here along with her crew and ship. His compass and Tia Dalma told him so.

Jack made a private bet with himself on how long it will take until he met Emelia again. "Give it by the end of the night," he muttered. "If not, I'll be sleeping with the pigs tonight." Jack meant it, too.

Once the Pearl was docked and every rope and sail secure, from his position up in the poop deck, Jack scanned the ships and boats around his own. None of them was The Raven. His ship had been docked in the part of the harbor farthest from the nearest town entrance.

"Alright men, some mind the Pearl, and then the others can head into town," Jack told his crew as he walked down the stairs onto the main deck. He let Gibbs make the arrangements of who would stay and who would go as he made his way off of the Pearl and onto the harbor.

Where he was immediately bombarded by the greedy harbormaster.

"Ahoy there, Jack Sparrow," the harbormaster crooned as he sidled up next to the pirate. "That'd be three shillings to dock yer ship!"

Jack smiled pleasantly and slung a companionable arm around the much shorter man. He was around Emelia's height. Jack slowly led the harbormaster away from the Pearl as he started talking to him in a light voice, "_Three shillings_, mate?" He acted surprised and mildly offended. "How can you live with yourself with charging such an outrageous price?"

"What are ye talking about?" the harbormaster spluttered.

Jack's smile grew wider, showing off his teeth. "Well mate, how can you live day to day with being so disrespected by every pirate coming in and out of Tortuga? I mean, someone so _esteemed_ as you sir shouldn't be a lowly, _disrespected _harbormaster!" Jack exclaimed and clapped the man hard with his other hand on his chest.

The harbormaster took up a coughing fit from the force of Jack's hand hitting his chest and bent over slightly. While the harbormaster was preoccupied with regaining his breath, Jack's hand slipped towards the small leather pouch at the harbormaster's waist and unhooked it. Practically beaming, Jack helped the man stand upright again.

"Sorry mate, don't know me own strength," Jack said. He began to walk away.

"Oy, ye still have to pay me!" the harbormaster yelled after him, but gave no chase.

Jack spun on his heel and held up the small pouch full of coins that he had taken. He loved the surprised and then angry look that passed itself on the other man's grimy face. "And thank _you _for such a lovely parting gift!" Jack exclaimed, giving the man a small bow, arms spread out wide on either side of him.

"Damnation on you Jack Sparrow!" the harbormaster shouted, spit flying everywhere.

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow!" Jack shouted back and then started for town, chuckling under his breath as he stowed away the small money bag in the front pocket of his coat.

"_Raawwk!_"

Jack stopped dead in his tracks and then felt something heavy plop onto his head. He tilted his head back and looked up, meeting the face of Cotton's colorful parrot. "Parrot?" he questioned.

The parrot bobbed its head and squawked again.

"Jack!" came Gibbs' voice from behind.

Jack spun around, nearly dislodging the bird from its place in his head and saw Mr. Gibbs and the owner of the parrot himself quickly making their way towards him.

"Sorry about that, Jack," Gibbs apologized for Cotton as the mute man in question took back his parrot and placed him on his shoulder. "He seems overexcited."

Jack looked at the bird skeptically and tilted his head slightly. "I don't think 'overexcited' even begins to describe it," he replied. He turned on his heel to start going to the town, but Cotton's parrot suddenly squawked, "The Raven! The Raven!"

Jack froze and then slowly turned back around, facing the bird. "What?" he snapped.

"The Raven, cap'n!" the parrot cried and flapped its wings.

"Well then lead on, Cot-I mean, parrot!" Jack said with a nod.

The parrot took flight and Jack, Gibbs, and Cotton followed it to the path on the left. Passing many ships, boats, and passerby, the parrot led them in the part of the harbor much closer to the town. It landed on a bunch of rotting crates not used anymore and waited for the human males to catch up.

"The Raven!" it cried and bobbed its head in the direction to their right.

Jack looked towards where the bird indicated and did see the ship in question. He could plainly see the gold letters emblazoned on either side of the magnificent ship, though it was always in his opinion, not nearly as magnificent as the Black Pearl.

"You'll be taking back yer hat, Jack?" Gibbs asked from behind his captain.

Jack noticed how Emelia's crew looked very busy on deck, but was confused as to why there were at least five men on deck, one including Michael Turnbull helping with fixing a part of the main sail. Other than them, he couldnt spot any sign of Emelia Kraven either. Jack thought for a 

moment, and then a grin lit up his face. He was going to take advantage of so few crew men. He turned his head to Gibbs. "Mayhap, by any chance, you have a rope on you, Mr. Gibbs?" he asked hopefully.

Gibbs shook his head, but then a rough, pale hand holding a length of rope was thrust in front of their faces. Both men turned their heads and looked at Cotton with surprise on their faces.

"Why do you have-?" Jack started but then shook his head. "Never mind, I dont wanna know," he muttered and took the rope. "By any chance, do you happen to have a hook on you?" he asked Cotton.

This time, it was Gibbs that thrust the metal hook in front of Jack's face. Jack looked at both men skeptically with a raised eyebrow. "I don't even wanna know, mates," he said and shook his head. Weird ones, my crew are, he thought as he began to tie one end of the rope onto the hook.

After telling his two men to wait there for him, Jack quickly stole across the distance between the rotten crates and The Raven with the rope and hook under his arm, ducking behind large items and people. Right next to the side of the poop deck, where no one was near, Jack took the hook and threw it up. Hoping no one had heard the dull _thunk_ of metal hitting the deck, Jack pulled onto the rope until the hook snagged something and then began to climb aboard. He swung himself on the main deck and hid among the row boats tied close to the side.

There were only three people on deck: Michael, a straw-haired scrawny guy Jack recognized as Briggen, and Godsworth, in his stout height, arms covered in tattoos, glory. They were all working on the sail that Michael had been working on and seemed to be arguing about it. They were so loud that it was no wonder none of them had heard Jack steal aboard the ship. Just to be cautious, Jack looked up towards the crow's nest. All the way up there, Jack barely could see Mr. Drummond's snow white hair. The old man had not seen Jack come aboard.

Blessing his luck, Jack grinned again. He looked off towards the double doors that led to Emelia's Captain's Quarters just feet away from him on his right. Glancing once more at the men, he quickly but carefully ran towards the doors.

Jack's grin changed into a smirk as he stepped into Emelia's quarters and quietly shut the doors behind him. His eyes scanned the entire room, but knowing his time was preciously short, he traversed the room towards the writing desk. Like the night he had been in this room the last time, there lay on the center of the writing desk was Emelia's old journal. Fighting the temptation to pick it up and read its contents, Jack began riffling through the papers and items on the desk, but to his disappointment, he did not find his hat. Then again, Emelia wasn't likely to leave something of his unattended. She was most likely _wearing_ his hat.

A small, smug smile touched Jack's lips at the thought. He did not doubt that Emelia Kraven was wearing his hat just as he was wearing the necklace she had given him two years ago. The smile on his face faded as he brought himself back to reality.

"Bugger," he muttered. He took out Emelia's pistol from his inner coat pocket and began to twirl it around in his right hand. His left still pushed away at papers and then put them back in their right place. When Jack lifted up Emelia's journal, he discovered a much worn-out folded piece of paper. The edges were frayed slightly and the paper itself was yellowed by time. It looked very old.

"Now what do we have here?" Jack murmured as he placed Emelia's journal to the side. He stopped twirling her pistol and put it back in his inner coat pocket. He picked up the folded paper with both hands and held it up closer. He squint his eyes. This paper looked very familiar to Jack. He tried wracking his mind as to find a memory of where he might have seen this thing but came up with nothing. Jack carefully unfolded the paper and his eyes widened as the words written in bold, curvy letters at the top, _El Fuente de la Juventud_. It was in Spanish, and it meant, "The Fountain of Youth". Below the letters was an out-of-date map of the whole Caribbean islands including Spanish providences, but it could still be useful. And from what Jack had seen on some of the other papers Emelia had on her desk when he was riffling through them, it was apparent she did find this map useful.

Jack folded the map again and placed it in his front coat pocket that also had the small bag of coins he took from the harbormaster. A grin stole across his face. Fountain of Youth, eh? he thought as he pulled a blank piece of parchment in front of him. He took a quill lying next to where he had put Emelia's journal and once he dipped it in the ink pot, began writing a message on the parchment. He signed his name with a flourish and threw the quill down on the writing desk, satisfied.

I may not remember where this map came from, but at least I know where it leads to, Jack thought gleefully as he got off The Raven without being caught. Soon he joined with Gibbs and Cotton with his parrot behind the rotten crates again.

"Where's yer hat, Jack?" Gibbs asked as he and Cotton began to follow their captain towards the town.

Jack never changed pace as he practically waltzed into town. He looked at them over his shoulder and flashed them a confident smile. "Oh, I'll be getting my hat back, gents. My hat, and much, much more by the end of this night!" he exclaimed.


	16. Bar Room Brawl

Em looked up at the gold words emblazoned on her ship that late afternoon. She was somewhat tired from practically running all over the town doing her own errands while trying to avoid bumping into Tim again, but felt like she had accomplished much today. Even from down below on the dock, Em could hear the angry voices belonging to Michael, Briggen, and Godsworth floating down to her ears. She grinned lightheartedly, despite how troubled she slightly was since her little confrontation with Tim, and began to climb aboard The Raven.

"What's going on here?" she asked once she stepped off the wooden ladder. Michael, Briggen, and Godsworth spun around and faced her. Behind them, part of the main sail lay at their feet. She lifted her eyebrow inquiringly at them. "I could hear you all the way from down the dock," she added.

They all had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"We were, um, arguing about the sail," Michael started.

Em gave him a wry smile. "I can see that," she remarked. She clapped her hands once and then looked towards Briggen and Godsworth. "Well if there's nothing else than that, I suggest you two raise the sail and roll it up. We won't need any of our sails until the day after tomorrow," she told them.

"Aye, aye cap'n!" they both chimed and immediately set to work.

Em motioned for Michael to take a walk around the deck with her. "Do you remember what happened with me and Tim last night?" she asked him quietly as they made their first round around the main deck. While she had been ordering Briggen and Godsworth, the men that had to run errands in the town were slowly trickling back onto the ship and going down to the crew's deck to get ready for another rowdy night in town.

Michael nodded. "You finally gave into him," he guessed.

Em winced at the brutal honesty in his words. "Yes, but it was because of a lack of judgment," she tried explaining. And lots of rum, she added mentally.

"So what did you tell him?" Michael wanted to know. He knew something bad was going to come out of Em's mouth and wasn't disappointed.

A pained look crossed Em's face as she explained what had happened from when she had woken up that morning to after talking to Haggerd Meatle.

Michael winced slightly when she told him about Tim's parting words. "Well, you've gotta hand it to him; he's still hanging on," he tried to joke.

Em was not amused. "He's hanging on, alright," she muttered darkly. "Like a blood-sucking leech."

Michael stopped walking just in front of the double doors leading to Em's quarters and faced her. "So what are you going to do about him?" he asked.

Em shrugged. "I don't know," she replied truthfully. "But," she added in a dead serious tone, "If Tim tries _anything_, I'll be forced to kill him."

Michael shook his head and smiled half-heartedly like she had just told him a bad joke instead of a death threat. "Emelia, you are one addled woman," he remarked.

Em stuck out her tongue at him like she had done many times since their childhood. "Belay that talk, Mr. Turnbull!" she exclaimed and laughed along with her best friend. Only Michael could get her spirits soaring again like a bird in the sky. She was the raven, and he and his eyes were the sky. A great pair they were.

Em turned towards the double doors and reached out for the doorknobs.

"So will you be going into town with the men again?" Michael asked with a grin.

Em laughed and pushed open her doors. "I don't think so mate," she replied over her shoulder as she stepped inside her quarters. "I'm still recovering from last night," she added before closing the doors shut on Michael's handsome, laughing face.

Em turned to face her writing desk with a smile on her lips, which quickly dropped into a frown. Something was missing, she could definitely feel it. It also sent a foreboding feeling all over her body, making her shiver slightly. Em's dark brown eyes slowly scanned her room until they landed on her writing desk. She noticed that her journal had been moved and so had some of her papers. Heart thumping faster and thoughts racing, Em quickly made for her desk. She took the old journal in her hands and held it tight again her chest protectively. As she did, her eyes fell upon the spot where she had last seen and had placed her journal on.

"The map," she gasped in alarm. She knew she had put the map that had the directions to the Fountain of Youth under her journal before she had left for town. But now, the map was gone, and in its place was a folded piece of parchment. Em placed her journal back where she had found it and slowly picked up the folded parchment with slightly trembling hands. She unfolded it and instantly recognized the scrawled writing on it. It was Jack's handwriting. Her eyes snapped to the bottom where in a flourish, he had signed his name, _Captain Jack Sparrow_. She quickly read the note, which read:

_Emelia,  
I came by to try to find my hat, but I guess you have it __on__ you, don't you luv? Meet me at Tom's bar this evening, and we'll make some sort of trade with my possession and your possessions.  
I'll be much looking forward to see your person again.  
Captain Jack Sparrow_

Em's blood boiled as she finished reading the offensive message. He knew that she was wearing his hat, but that didn't bother her. No, what bothered her was that he wrote "_your possessions_" in his message. _Possessions_, in the plural form; as in, he had something more than just her pistol.

And I know what it is, Em thought darkly as the image of the map came into mind. "I will get my pistol and my map back, and then I will make sure he will never live to see the dawn!" she roared and tore the note in her hands into shreds.

Em spun around on her heel and stormed out of her quarters, nearly giving Michael and Ozz heart attacks by the force which she had slammed her doors open.

Michael was the first to notice the livid look on her face. "Em, what's the matter?" he demanded.

Em rounded on him. "When did Jack Sparrow steal aboard my ship?" she spat.

Michael looked taken aback. Ozz was just plain lost and gaping at the pair with his mouth half open. "What are you talking about, mate?" Michael asked.

"Jack Sparrow stole aboard The Raven!" Em shouted angrily.

Michael and Ozz's eyes widened in shock. "When?" they both asked simultaneously.

"I don't know!" Em practically shrieked. "But he has the map!"

Silence descended upon their little group. Oddly, they were the only ones on deck. Em's mind was clear enough to notice this and she took a short reprieve to ask where the men were.

"Out in town, cap'n," Ozz answered quickly. Even from the distance, they all could hear the first pistol shots of the night from the town. Night was finally here, and the sun was nearly disappearing entirely beyond the horizon to the west. "'Cept fer Mr. Drummond, 'course," he added and pointed up to the crow's nest.

"Jack has the map?" Michael asked Em, bringing them back to the real matter at hand.

Em nodded stiffly. Her fists were balled up on either side of her and she was itching to kick some pirate butt. "I have to meet him at Tom's bar," she told them. "Then we'll trade back our _possessions_," she spat out the word with so much venom that sent Ozz trembling with fear.

"Does it include the map?" Michael pressed.

Em quickly walked towards the wooden ladder and began climbing down. "I'll make sure it does!" she called up to them.

"C'mon mate, we gotta make sure she doesnt kill anyone that isn't Jack," Michael muttered darkly to Ozz and they both hurried towards the ladder. They tried their best to keep up with the quick pace Em was setting, though she was the one who was shorter than them, even if it was just by an inch or two in Ozz's case. When it came to being pissed off, Em knew how to exercise it to her advantage.

They were soon in front of the entrance to Tom's bar and without further ado, Em burst in through the swinging double doors. She was met by a rowdy welcome by most of her crew that were there, already beginning to drink themselves drunk, but ignored them all as she quickly scanned the bar room. Seeing not even the familiar faded red bandana amongst the customers, Em headed towards the bar itself where Tom stood serving up drinks.

"Where is he?" Em demanded.

Tom gave a tankard full of rum to another customer and then turned to her with a puzzled look on his face. "Who, Tim?" he asked.

Em shook her head furiously. "No! I mean Jack Sparrow!" she shouted above the rising crescendo of noise.

"He be in the back room, waiting for you Em," a familiar rough voice told her from behind.

Em spun around so quickly that her long hair actually whipped both Gibbs and Tom's faces.

"Oww!" Tom yelped and grabbed the sides of his face. "Damn yer hair, Em!"

Gibbs nodded in agreement as he massaged his stinging, bearded face with one hand. In the other he held a mug full of rum.

"Where is Jack, Gibbs?" Em demanded.

Gibbs jabbed the thumb in the direction near to the table Michael, Ozz, Tim, and her had sat at last night in the corner. Close to the table, there was an open doorway that led into a much private part of the first floor bar room that barely anyone went in because there was less action going on in there. Without a word of thanks, Em crossed the room and walked in through the doorway. She scanned what at first appeared to be an empty room filled with scattered tables and chairs, but when her eyes fell upon the pirate swigging his second bottle of rum in the far left corner, this room wasn't empty at all except for her, and Jack Sparrow.

After taking a moment to get her bearings back together, Em slowly crossed the room until she stood in front of Jack, across the table. She glared menacingly down at him, but at the moment, Jack was still concentrating on drinking down all the contents of the glass bottle to acknowledge her. He still had halfway to go.

Not going to wait for him to finish, Em leaned across the table and snatched the bottle away from him, managing to spill some all over his front.

"Now why'd you have to go and do that, love?" Jack complained and shook off the rum from his hands.

Em slammed the bottle down on the table and leaned forward again so that there was less than a foot's distance from their faces. "Give me my pistol _and_ the map that you stole from me, Jack Sparrow!" she demanded through clenched teeth.

A smile slowly spread itself on Jack's roguishly handsome face and he shook his head slightly at her in a small mocking gesture. "Emelia darling, remember your little promise to me! _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, when referring to me in full name!" he admonished as if he were talking to a naughty child.

Em lifted her hands high and slammed them back down onto the table with a terrible crash. "I will not be playing games with you!" she shouted angrily. "Now give me back my pistol and the map you stole from me!"

Not very intimidated by her, Jack held up his index finger to her lips, effectively silencing her. He cocked his head to the side and gave her an engaging smile. "First of all, love, I did not steal your map. I just borrowed it with every intention of giving it back," he quickly explained. "Second of all, I am not playing any games with you either-although we _can_ if you want to," he added and winked.

Em snatched his finger away from her lips and held it tight, though not enough to injure him. Yet. She scowled. "You are impossible as ever!" she cried.

Jack managed to get back his finger from her grip, and with that same hand, he motioned towards the empty chair next to him. "Sit and we will discuss _everything_ Emelia," he told her. When she made no movement towards the designated spot, Jack sighed heavily and stood up. Swiftly, he took Em by her shoulders and forcibly steered her into the seat with many cries of protest in her part before returning to his seat. Jack reached over and picked up the half-empty bottle of rum. "Cheers," he said lightly and took a swig.

Em glared at him. "What is there to discuss?" she demanded. "Give me my pistol and map, and I will give you back your hat!" Em took off Jack's hat that she had been wearing this whole time and held it tight in her hands lest Jack try to take it from her.

Jack brought the bottle away from his lips and set it down on the table. He looked Em directly in her eyes, making her feel slightly uncomfortable since first barging in the room. Without a word, Jack reached into the inner pocket of his coat and held out Em's pistol. "A trade," he stated and held it out to her.

Em clutched his hat closer to her. "No, not until you also give me back my map with it!" she told him stubbornly and with good reason. She still needed that map. Also, she wasn't that willing to part with Jack's hat yet.

Jack studied Em very closely. As he did, Tia Dalma's words rang clearly in his head: _they attempt to sarch for something dat they all want, dat every __**mortal**__ man wants._ Emelia Kraven and her crew were searching for the Fountain of Youth; Jack now knew and understood what Tia had been trying to tell him. And she had told him that he had to save them from the "perils" that they were going to face from trying to find it.

Jack set the pistol down on the table and then from his front pocket, pulled out the worn out map. He also placed this down on the table, but closer to him than to Em. Jack placed a hand on top of it and looked back at Em. A small, coy grin settled on his face, making Em pretty nervous at that moment.

"What?" she asked irritably to cover up her jitters. "Give it back!" she added forcefully.

As if he hadn't heard her, Jack said, "You know, love, I remember this map now."

Em's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You do?" she stuttered.

Jack's grin widened so that they showed his teeth at this delightful reaction he had got from her. "Aye," he replied lightly and got into a more comfortable position in his seat. "I remember 'bout two and a half years ago when we took that little adventure trip around some of the islands by ourselves, one of the Company's agents spotted us-"

"-and gave us a chase," Em replied. She was starting to lose herself in their shared memory.

Jack was practically beaming. He noticed that her eyes were taking on a soft look of remembrance and continued, "I found that little cave and we hid in it until the agent and his lackeys had passed. And there before our eyes as we waited was all that treasure." Jack's own eyes took on a starry look at remembering all that gold and silver that they had found, but then he pulled himself back together to why he was reminding Emelia of this. In a serious tone, he said, "And before we left that cave, I remember that you had hid something inside yer coat pocket that looked like this." Jack held up the map.

_Poppy-cock_, Em cursed inwardly. She had been praying that Jack had thought nothing of the map at the time since he never asked her about it. Apparently, he had seen what it was when he had been riffling through her things. "Okay, you know what it is, so give it back!" Em made to snatch the map back, but Jack held it away from her reaches with an amused expression on his face that gave Em the sudden urge to knock it off of his face. But she didn't.

"What do you want?" Em hissed venomously.

"I want _many_ things," Jack replied without skipping a beat. "But first off, love, I pray that your person would let me and my crew join _you_ and _your_ crew on a joint adventure, savvy?" he added and waved the folded map in front of her face tauntingly.

Em tried to grab it again, but Jack held it away again. "No! I will not let you!" Em shouted.

Jack smiled because he had expected that answer of Emelia. "Suit yourself," Jack replied and surprisingly threw the map at her. Em caught it and threw his hat upon the table. Then she looked warily at the pirate. "I've never known you to give up on promising treasure such as this, Jack Sparrow," she told him.

Jack flashed her a brilliant smile that stirred old and not-so-old feelings inside of Em. "I'm not giving up," he replied lightly. "Because I know you'll be forced to give in and let me and my crew join you if I hold your secret for ransom."

"Secret?" Em asked blankly.

"The map," Jack stated the obvious. "You let me and my crew join you, and I won't have to tell the whole bar room that you know the location to eternal youth." Jack positively enjoyed the outraged look that crossed Emelia's lovely features.

"I-I could kill you right now!" she spluttered angrily. Under Jack's bemused expression, she took her pistol and pointed it at him. "I have what I need. It would be so simple to kill you now!" she cried.

Jack tilted his head slightly to the side as a small smile danced across his lips. "Would you _really_ kill me, love?" he asked seriously, his tone clashing greatly with what his face showed.

Em bit her bottom lip, already giving Jack the answer. She wouldn't because she still loved him. Jack stood up and made to reach out to her, but a violent bang made him freeze in place. For a moment, white smoke that rose up from the pistol hid Em's face from his, but when it had cleared, he saw the cold look on her face. Jack looked down at front. He had expected to be seeing a hole in his stomach and blood flowing down his clothes, but saw that he was alright and still alive. He turned to look behind him and saw that on the back rest of his wooden chair, there was a large hole.

"That was a warning," Em whispered. She was shocked herself. When Jack had stood up from his chair, he had surprised her into accidentally pressing the trigger. _I almost killed Jack._ The words rang loudly in her head. Em slowly lowered her pistol, and then stashed it back in its rightful place inside her wide leather belt. A hard lump formed in her throat and she painfully swallowed it down. Em blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes as she placed the map in her coat pocket before abruptly standing up and started making her way towards the open doorway.

Jack saw her going to leave and quickly called out, "So how are you and young Timmothy McIlrath doing?" His words had the effect he needed from her. Em froze just outside the doorway. She turned slowly and faced him. The look on her face actually surprised Jack and made him very curious. The look on Em's face was one of guilt accompanied by a tint of a blush on her cheeks.

"Why . . are you asking?" Em asked softly. Her heart was hammering so hard in her chest that she thought it would burst forth. Guilt that shouldn't have been there in the first place twisted and 

knotted her insides. Why did Jack ask about "_young Timmothy McIlrath_"? Did that mean Jack knew that she had slept with him? Em wanted to hurl.

Jack cocked his head to the side with a contemplative look on his face. "You slept with him." It was a statement, not a question. The deepened blush on Em's face told him all that he needed to know. With that realization, jealousy exploded deep from the pit of his stomach despite of himself.

"Yes, I did," Em replied, which made Jack's jealousy grow even more.

"So, your new toy, is he, love?" Jack snarled. He was mad, mad that she had been keeping this from him. But did he really have the right to be jealous and mad? Jealous maybe, since Emelia Kraven is a beautiful woman, but should he be mad? Maybe he should be.

Em glared at him coldly. "No, he is not my _new toy_, and never was!" she spat.

Jack walked around the table so that he was directly facing her from across the room. "So you admit to no feelings whatsoever for him?" he swiftly demanded.

Em strode towards him until she was standing right in front of him, looking up into his dark features, his mesmerizing eyes. "No, I _do_ have feelings for him!" she declared passionately.

Jack's face was unreadable as he stared down at her. Then in an emotionless tone, he replied, "Well then I believe this settles our business, love." Jack reached for his hat on the table and set it on its rightful place on his head. He made for the door, but Em was in front of him again, pressing the palms of both her hands on his broad chest with an almost pleading look on her face.

"Jack, the only feelings I have for Tim is hate and disgust!" she told him quickly.

Confusion set in on Jack's face. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I don't love him like I love you, of course!" Em cried. "He says he loves me, but it is madness, the love he loves me with!"

Jack couldn't take it, her hands on his chest, her warm body so close to his. Jack pulled her into his arms and spun them around so that his back faced the open doorway as he swept her up in a passionate kiss that sent the both of them breathless.

"And this love that we have isn't madness either, love?" he whispered once they had surfaced for air. Em's breathing was short and heavy as his, but she found the breath to say, "No, it isn't madness, it's-" Em caught herself as the gravity of the situation she had been literally pulled in placed itself clearly in her mind. She was in Jack Sparrow's arms, and had just a moment before been kissing him! What was wrong with her? And even now, she could feel one of his hands slowly inching down towards the pocket she had put the map in.

To Jack's surprise, she began to shout obscenities up at him, "Scoundrel! Blaggard! Son of a bitch!"

"Pardon me, love?" he asked, bewildered. How did the once tender situation go heated in a matter of seconds within a blink of an eye?

Em didn't give him an answer. Instead, she took a step away from his arms, reared her fist back, and hit Jack with everything ounce of strength she had. The terrible force of the blow across his jaw sent Jack Sparrow flying out of the room through the open doorway and back into the main part of the first floor where he landed roughly on his back in front of Michael, Gibbs, and Ozz, who had been sharing two rum bottles amongst themselves. The trio looked at Jack, then at the Em as she emerged from the room she and Jack had been in with looks of varying shock on their faces. They watched as Em drew her cutlass and pointed it at Jack menacingly with black fury in her eyes.

But before anyone could even blink, Ozz raised the bottle of rum he held in his hands and brought it down hard on top of a nearby pirate, which sparked a massive bar room brawl.

"Arrr!" Weapons were quickly drawn and everyone was against everyone else, turning the place into a rowdy battlefield.

Jack quickly jumped to his feet and drew out his own cutlass in time to block the low blow Em sent him. He grinned and began to parry with her while avoiding being attacked by angry pirates and prostitutes.

"Bilge-sucking fiend!" Em shouted above the din as she ducked low and swiped at Jack's legs. Jack jumped over her blade and continued parrying with her once more. They were moving all over the first floor, having their own private fight. "I know you were trying to steal back my map while you were trying to seduce me back there!" Em hollered. Her sword clashed mightily with Jack's and she was sent sprawling over a wooden table from behind. She saw Jack raise his blade and quickly flipped backwards just as he swung his blade down.

Jack smirked at her from the other side of the table and pulled his sword free of the wood. "Pirate," he only replied, sounding more than a trifle smug.

"And you bloody are one, too!" Em shouted angrily. She picked up the nearest bottle of rum and threw it at him in a rage.

Jack caught it with no difficulty with his free hand and took a quick drink from the bottle. "Yes, I am a pirate, Emelia darling, but it so happens, we're _all_ pirates," Jack remarked as he tossed the empty bottle aside.

The bottle smashed on the side of a particularly grungy-looking pirate's head and rendering them unconscious. His companion turned around, took one look at his unconscious friend, and then set 

upon Jack with his cutlass pointed at him. "You'll be payin' fer that," he growled.

Em considered letting this bloke try to take on an experienced sword fighter as Jack, but thought otherwise. She lifted her foot and kicked the table in front of her hard. It slid across the floor and hit the approaching pirate, sending him flying off to the side.

Jack turned to Em and bowed slightly towards her with a grin on his face. "My thanks, love," he told her.

Em glared at him. "I did that not for you, Jack." She took a step closer to him, cutlass brandished in front of her. "It was just convenient," she added and began to parry with Jack once more. It was evident that he was still the better fighter as it was he who was forcing her towards the stairs now as their blades met blow for blow. She was being forced to make her way up the stairs backwards, careful that she didn't fall. Em gritted her teeth and swung at Jack's head, but he ducked and counterattacked and then they parried again and again.

They had made their way up half of the stairs when suddenly a loud bang rang across the whole building that froze everyone in their places. All eyes darted towards the bar where standing on top of the counter, Tom glared at them all. In his right hand was his long shotgun, pointing up at the ceiling. Smoke rose from the barrel, and now and again, chunks of wood belonging from the ceiling fell around the angered bar owner.

"ENOUGH!" Tom barked. His face was red with rage. "I want all you to get outta me bar right now! You've all done enough damage!" he shouted.

From way in the back, Ozz slowly picked up an empty rum bottle. He raised it up in the air and then brought it down on the nearest pirate's head. This started the brawl all over again.

"I'mma kill ye Ozz, once I get my hands on ye!" Tom hollered as he jumped off of his bar.

Ozz's already pale face seemed to go paler at the approach of the large man. Without further ado, Ozz ducked down and crawled amongst the moving limbs away from the spot he had been previously.

Em and Jack looked at each other, and then they resumed their fight up the flight of stairs. Em nearly tripped back when she had reached the last of the steps. She and Jack were now on the second floor, and still Jack was leading her. As Em passed an open door, two pirates holding a drunken third came in between her and Jack. They both watched as the pair ran towards the railing and threw the drunkard off the second floor. A loud crash was heard from down below and then Tom's voice could also be heard yelling, "I've found ye, ye Irish sea-monkey!"

For the first time that night since she had entered her quarters back on The Raven, a brilliant smile softened Em's hard features and she even laughed out loud.

From a few feet in front of her, a smile also lit Jack's roguish face. He sorely had missed her laughter. He noticed Em had returned her attention upon him, but she still had a playful smile dancing on her lips. Jack inclined his head towards her briefly before putting up his blade to meet hers as they continued on. But it seemed that it had changed now. Em did not really feel anger towards Jack anymore, and so it felt like it was a game, parrying with Jack, and her heart seemed to feel lighter with that realization. Jack also seemed as if he were floating safely, though all around him the waters were bubbling dangerously. He and Em were doing something familiar between them again.

Em soon found that she had been cornered between Jack and a pair that included Briggen fighting right behind her. She was virtually stuck on that balcony. Her eyes darted over the railing and saw that there were still many people fighting down below. Her eyes lifted up and then fastened upon the iron chandelier. Lowering her cutlass blade, Em hoisted herself onto the railing and jumped for the chandelier.

Jack's heart seemed to skip a beat as his eyes followed her figure as she soared briefly in the air and then landed a little roughly on the iron chandelier. The chandelier swayed dangerously and the ropes holding it up creaked and strained from the extra weight. _Crazy woman!_ Jack thought, but he had to admit, he was mightily impressed. Not wanting her to get the best of him, Jack also jumped.

"You addlepate! You could kill us right here with your dead weight!" Em practically shrieked as she glared across the swinging chandelier at Jack's grinning face. The smile she had worn a few minutes ago was long gone. The game was over. She raised her sword just in time to catch Jack's blade. Her glare seemed to deepen, but it did not scare Jack Sparrow off.

"Good form, love," Jack told her.

Em blushed, but before she could snap a retort, they were both nearly jilted off of the swinging contraption when the chandelier suddenly gave a violent lurch. Em's wide eyes met those of Jack's. They had to get off of the chandelier before it fell. Em looked down and spotted Michael amidst the raging sea of bodies. She called for him and when she caught his eyes, Em threw her cutlass down at him. When she looked back up, she nearly jumped out of her skin because Jack was suddenly right next to her. He had sheathed his own sword, and without a word, he threw her over his shoulder and as the chandelier swung at its peak closest to the railing, Jack jumped off just as the ropes gave way and the chandelier went crashing down to the first floor. As Jack landed safely on the balcony with Em still over his shoulder, they both could hear many shrieking and shouting coming from below.

Em began to struggle now when she knew they were safe. "Let go of me at once, you villain!" she yelled and pounded her fists on his back.

Jack shrugged. "Alright," he said simply and then without warning, threw her to the ground.  
Em rolled onto her back and the look of scandalized shock on her face sent Jack bursting with raucous laughter. Em glared up at him and quickly got back onto her feet, dusting her clothes as she faced him. "I'm not done with you yet, Jack Sparrow!" she cried.

Jack's eyebrows were raised in a bemused sort of way. "Oh really, love?" he challenged and smirked.

Em's hand went for her cutlass, but did not feel the familiar hilt at her belt. Em looked down and saw that it was missing. Then she remembered that she had given it to Michael when she and Jack were still on the chandelier and a harsh scowl crossed her face.

Jack, however, was not lacking in a sword and had it drawn out again. He pointed it at her with a smug look on his face. _Poor, darling Emelia_, he thought a little mockingly. "You're sword is your life, love," he reminded her. "That's why"-he took a step closer to her, and she slowly back away from the blade-"you should never let it go," he added and smiled wide, showing his teeth.  
Suddenly, a strong hand came out from behind and wrapped itself around Jack's right arm. It forced him to turn around so that he came face to face with the owner of a pair of murderous, dark green eyes.

"Tim?!" Em shouted in both surprise and outrage from behind Jack. But neither Tim nor Jack was listening to her as they fiercely stared each other down.

Tim unsheathed his cutlass and met Jack's blade. His dark green eyes glared hatefully at Jack and his face was twisted in a nasty scowl. "I've been wanting to meet the _infamous_ Jack Sparrow for a while now," he snarled.

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow," Jack amended, and then he bowed slightly with a grin. "Delighted to meet a fan," he added. So this is who Tia told me to beware of, eh? Jack thought as he scrutinized the taller man. Not that impressive. A small part of Jack, the jealous part, wondered why Em would sleep with a barnacle head like this guy in front of him.

"Are you two listening to me?" Em demanded. She had been trying to get their attention. She positively didn't like how this was going. She was worried for Tim. Jack _was_ an excellent sword fighter.

Jack briefly glanced at her from over his shoulder then turned back to his new opponent. His next words were for her, "Sorry love, but this fight is between the boys now." Jack smirked across the weapons at Tim, whose scowl deepened.

Em stamped her foot angrily. "No you will not!" she cried. Her gaze turned to Tim. "Tim McIlrath, you will withdraw your-" Em suddenly screamed as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her by the arms from behind. Then another pair of hands grabbed her ankles, and the next thing she knew, she was being thrown from the balcony. Em shut her eyes tight in fear as she soared in the open air. What a way to die, she thought and waited to land painfully on the broken chandelier down below. To her surprise and relief, however, she landed on many pairs of hands. Em snapped her eyes open and saw Jack and Tim's worried faces looking down at her from the second floor.

"Ahhh!" Em cried as the unknown hands began to move her rapidly across the room. The sea of hands carried her towards the exit and then she was thrown out of Tom's bar. She flipped and landed hard on her front side on the cobblestone ground outside. Em groaned, but she wasn't the only one. Apparently, as she lifted the upper half of her body and looked all around, she and her crew were no longer welcome at Tom's bar anymore.

In a matter of minutes, Jack and Tim were thrown outside too, and landed respectively on either side of her. All three got to their feet, and to Em's utter disbelief, the two men turned their blades against the other again.

Em pulled out her pistol and pointed at Jack's heart. But instead of addressing him, Em turned her head to Tim instead. "You will gather the men and head back to the ship," she ordered him. She sensed Jack opening his mouth to protest just as Tim was doing now and snapped her head in his direction, giving him a glare so deadly that Jack was for once rendered speechless. "I _never_ want to see you again," Em coldly told him. "This time, I _want_ you to leave me be!" Without another word, Em stomped away into the darkness, leaving Jack brooding, and Tim the lighthearted of the two.


	17. Fifty Shillings and Another Surprise

The following day after the huge bar room brawl, every man of Em's crew (with the exception of Mr. Drummond) was sore and aching to the bone. Some were better off than others, injury-wise. Last night had been lots of fun, but they had to pay for it now. Especially since Em practically dragged them all out of their comfy cots and got old, but still healthy, Mr. Drummond to usher them up to the main deck.

"Just because you got injured doesn't mean that I'm letting you stay abed our last day in Tortuga," she told them sternly. She wasn't feeling her best, either. She was sharing their grief and irritation. Her left cheek was slightly swollen; there was a half foot long cut going down her upper left arm that was at the moment staining the long sleeved, cotton shirt she wore under her coat; and every other part of her body ached. However, she was the captain and had to make some sacrifices. Plus, it really was their last day in Tortuga. Tomorrow at dawn they set sail.

She realized the groans and moans that had met her words and grimaced. "Quit your belly-aching! Suck it up and be the fierce men that are my crew!" she shouted. Then she began to issue orders, "All the men that I have sent into town yesterday go back and pick up your orders. Except for the men I sent to Tom's bar," she added quickly. "Those me will stay here and watch over The Raven, and Briggen, Godsworth, and myself will see to it that we get our rum." She turned her head to the side and exchanged looks with Michael, who had been leaning against the banister the whole time. He knew what she wanted and immediately started ordering about the other men that hadn't been sent into town the day before plus the ones Em told to stay behind.

Em made towards the stairs and began descending towards the main deck, knowing full well (and from catching Michael's eye that he knew too) that she hadn't assigned Tim McIlrath, who had been standing behind her the whole time, any duties. Just as her two feet stepped onto the main deck, she heard footsteps quickly descend the stairs too. And when they were close enough, Em spun around sharply to face their owner.

Tim was quick to duck low so that Em's hair missed his face. She was pissed off at him, and he knew he was going to pay. He may have gotten off last night when she had stomped back to the ship, but now he was going to get his due. Putting on a brave face as he stood up straight, he asked her what was his duty today.

Instead of telling him straightforward, Em looked about and spotted Mr. Drummond come out from the lower decks with a bucket full of soapy water and a clean rag hanging from the bucket. "Mr. Drummond, come here!" Em called out. Mr. Drummond did, and Em took the bucket and rag from him. "Off to the crow's nest with you, Mr. Drummond," Em told him. Em turned to Tim and pushed the bucket and rag into his hands. The soapy water sloshed down all over his front.  
Tim looked from the bucket and rag to Em with a skeptical look on his face. "And what am I supposed to do with this?" he demanded.

Em took a step back and threw up her arms to gesture the whole deck. "Since you seem to have all of your strength, I order you to swab the deck," she told him coldly. Even as she gave him the order, the men within earshot momentarily stopped what they were doing to gape at their captain. In the past year that Timmothy McIlrath had been skipper, never had Emelia Kraven made him 

swab the deck like a lowly deckhand like she was making him do now. In their minds, he must have done something very bad to receive this kind of degrading treatment.

Tim stared down into Em's hard, dark brown eyes with a mixture of disbelief and anger in his own. But as a man, he kept his bitter thoughts to himself as he stomped past Em and began his duty without another word.

Em turned around and that's when she noticed the shocked looks on some of her crew. She gave them a stern look. "What are you looking at? Get to work!" she snapped. Hearing many footsteps approach her, she turned around again and faced Michael, Ozz, Briggen, and Godsworth. She first addressed Briggen and Godsworth.

"I want you two to go ahead into town right now. I'll meet you in a few at Tom's bar," she told them. The two nodded and then departed without a word.

When it was only Ozz, Em, and him, Michael leaned towards Em and whispered something in her ear. She turned around to face him with eyes wide and a small blush on her cheeks. "Really?" she whispered. Ozz looked from his captain to the first mate, totally confused with what was happening.

Michael nodded and Em blushed a little deeper. Her embarrassment was very evident. Then out in the open, she started removing her weapons like her pistol and cutlass and handing them to Michael. She shrugged off her coat and threw it to still puzzled Ozz.

"Can I know what in the bloody hell is happenin'?" he asked.

Em was now in her long sleeved, cotton shirt that buttoned down the front and her pants. Her boots lay at Michael's feet. Throwing her long hair over her shoulders, she walked towards the railing and climbed on it.

"Tell us how the water is," Michael called as she dove down into the blue ocean waters.

Ozz rushed towards the railing and looked down in time to see Em surface up for air. He felt Michael stand beside him and demanded, "Why'd she do that?"

In quiet tones, Michael told Ozz what he had told Em, "She still had Tim's scent on her."

Ozz's green eyes glanced over to Tim's bent figure, furiously working the deck, and skittered back down to where he could see Em's dark head bobbing up and down in the water. "Oh" was what he could only reply. A few minutes later, after they had thrown down a rope ladder down to her, Em was standing in font of them, reeking now of the fresh, salty sea, and dripping wet. Her waterlogged clothes made every curve of her body more visible to the naked eye and had more than Michael and Ozz's eyes staring at her figure.

_Men_, Em thought and then shouted, "What are you all staring at? Get back to work!" She spun on her naked feet and fixed Tim a particularly sharp look. Her eyes widened when he actually winked at her before returning to his chore.

"Give me my coat, Ozz," she told the Irishman and he did.

"So what am I gonna do, cap'n?" Ozz asked as she threw on her coat over her shoulders. It only went down to her knees but it suited her well. When Em looked at Ozz, she noticed that he had a nasty bruise above his left eyebrow.

Must have been from Tom, she thought, remembering how last night Tom had been out to get Ozz for starting the whole brawl. "Well first you're gonna do is treat that bruise right away," Em replied. "Then, I'm assigning you to be one of the lookouts."

Ozz gave her a puzzled look. "Lookout fer what?" he asked.

A grim look crossed Em's wet face. "If Jack and his crew are still here, I'd rather be leaving my ship with the comfort that you won't be ambushed," she muttered darkly.

Ozz nodded, though still not fully understanding, and then walked towards the entrance to the lower decks to do as she first suggested.

Em bent down and grabbed her boots before motioning Michael to follow her into her quarters. "Shut the doors," she ordered as they walked in.

"Here." Michael handed her weapons over and not only closed the doors, but locked them as well. When he turned back, Em had placed her effects and her coat on the reclining couch and was now starting to unbutton her wet shirt. Michael was the only man that would have looked away out of respect for Em as he was doing now.

Em left her wet clothes on the floor and walked over towards the large chest sitting in the far left corner of her room. She opened it and took out a pair of rough woolen trousers dyed black and put them on. Next, out from the chest was a white, long-sleeved shirt made of silk with floral designs in red thread. Her long, waist-reaching hair was still dripping wet lying limp and slightly tangled down her back, but it would dry off soon with the help of the warm Caribbean sun.

Michael, hoping that Em was clothed, looked back. He noticed that she wasn't in the spot he had last seen her and looked around. His eyes landed on his captain with her back to him, now putting on what looked like a black leather corset around her middle. Em chose that moment to turn around so that Michael got a good look at the contraption. Going down the front were buckles which Em was now tightening.

"That looks horrific," Michael stated. It almost hurt to look at the terrifying thing many women had to wear as part of the new "fashion". He wondered why Em was choosing to wear it now since she never liked wearing things according to fashion. She liked wearing clothes according to what felt comfortable to her as a pirate. His blue eyes noticed that with the tightness of the corset, Em's goodly sized breasts were pushed up more to look a little larger. He flushed at his, in his mind, his disgusting thoughts. "How can you _breathe_?" he asked skeptically.

Em patted her middle when she was done with the buckles and grinned across the room at her best friend. "That's usually the point of these things," she replied and topped it all off by stepping into her boots, putting on her weapons, and lastly shrugging on her coat.

"I hope for everyone's sakes that you don't faint from lack of air, mate," Michael remarked wryly.

Em patted him on his arm as she walked past. "Don't worry, I didn't put it on too tight," she reassured him. "But you won't be catching me swimming in this anytime soon," she added with a smile. Then she unlocked the doors, pushed them open, and was gone.

* * *

"What's your report Cotton's parrot?"

"The raven's left the nest," the colorful bird squawked from where it was perched on Cotton's shoulder.

Jack nodded and then grinned so that some of his gold teeth showed. He turned and addressed Gibbs. "Go round the men up, Mr. Gibbs," he ordered.

"Aye, aye."

* * *

When Em entered Tom's bar, she wasn't really surprised to see that the owner and Briggen practically at each other's throats. Em walked over towards the bar and cleared her throat loudly, but neither of them heard. Only Godsworth did, and he turned around. The look of relief that flooded into his strained, clean-shaven face was so apparent, that Em chuckled. Unlike Briggen, who has quite a temper on him, Godsworth is a mild mannered fellow.

"So what's the problem here?" Em inquired as she and Godsworth watched Briggen and Tom snarl at each other. It wasn't a shouting match yet, but it was close.

Godsworth's murky brown eyes shifted from the pair in front of them, and then back to Em. Godsworth was slightly short, but what he lacked he gained in muscle. "Tom doesn't want to give us what we ordered," he replied and nervously licked his dry lips.

"Well that won't do," Em muttered. She walked forward and pushed Briggen off to the side, much to his anger.

"Oy! What in the bloody-!" He turned around and saw Em. His eyes widened. "Oh," he said.

Then his anger returned as quickly as it had gone and he pointed a finger at Tom. "'E don't want to give us our rum!" Briggen hollered.

Em pointedly ignored him and turned her full attention to Tom. "What's the deal, Tom? Is it about last night?" she demanded.

Tom growled. "Ye bloody well know it's about last night!" he told her. "You'll be payin' for all the damages to me bar!"

Em delicately lifted her left eyebrow in a skeptical look. "I certainly will not," she replied coolly. She turned her head this way and that to have a more detailed look of the room. It wasn't looking its best, she could say that, but it wasn't _entirely_ her fault it was like this. What could Tom expect, having a business in a town full of pirates? "I didn't make all these damages, Tom, so don't try to blame me or my crew," she told him when she looked back at him. Em braced herself on the counter and leaned forward so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Look Tom, I'll pay for the chandelier and you know I'll pay for the kegs of rum I've ordered, but I won't be paying for the damages I didn't do," she told him flatly.

Tom growled. "I'll accept, but I never want you or any of yer bloody crew members in me bar ever again!" he said.

Em stood back and looked into his face with a cold look. "Fine," she snapped.

* * *

Tim's back and arm muscles were screaming in pain with each movement he made. His muscles felt like they were on fire, but as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, he felt satisfied. The main deck was all swabbed, considering it was his first time doing it since first having been hired by Em a year ago.

I hope she never makes me do it again, though, he thought wistfully as he threw the dirty rag into the murky water-filled bucket. Tim lifted his arms over his head and stretched his aching muscles, tilting his head up to also stretch out his neck muscles. And when he did, he caught sight of an unfamiliar shadow flying amongst the sails. Under normal circumstances, he would have thought it was either a bird or even one of the crew fixing the sails, but if it had been a bird, he would have heard its chirping. It couldn't have been someone of the crew fixing the sails because the sails had been fixed the day before.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another shadow behind him. As he unsheathed his cutlass, Tim spun around and held the blade at the intruder's neck.

"You!" Tim growled once he recognized _him_.

The intruder smirked. "Yep, and if you have not noticed already, I've got you surrounded. Mate."

* * *

Tom looked into Em's cold, dark brown eyes. "Without the cost of the chandelier, ye pay me twelve shillings for the rum," he told her. Without waiting for her to ask for the cost of the chandelier, he quickly added, "With the chandelier, ye pay me fifty shillings."

On both sides of Em, Briggen and Godsworth gasped audibly at the hefty price even as their captain's knees seemed to weaken from under her that she had to grip the counter top hard.  
Em did a quick calculation in her head. Fifty in all, so minus the twelve-

"I have to pay _thirty-eight_ shillings for your bloody chandelier!" Em yelped. Her two crew members' jaws dropped. "I am not paying thirty-eight shillings for that piece of junk!" she shouted angrily.

Tom banged the counter top hard with one of his fists, but she didn't flinch. "You will pay me, or I'll make sure ye'll be dancing the Hempen Jig!" Tom threatened.

"You won't hang me," Em replied coldly.

Tom's thrust his face a few inches from hers. It took a lot of Em's will power not to recoil from his foul breath. "Oh, I won't, eh?" Tom growled.

Em's temper rose. "No, you won't!" she shouted and was satisfied when it was Tom who recoiled from her. "I won't pay you for the chandelier," Em told him, "because that piece of scrap"-she jabbed her thumb behind her where she knew the huge broken thing lay-"was going to break any day now. Me and Jack just-" Em's eyes widened when sudden realization hit her. Jack!

"I won't pay the _full_ price of the chandelier," Em said suddenly.

Tom's eyebrows rose up. "Oh you won't, will you?" he said.

Em shook her head. "I wasn't the only one who broke your chandelier. Jack is also to blame, and so he should be paying for it too," she argued.

From under the counter, Tom pulled out a pistol and placed the nozzle on Em's forehead threateningly. Then, two pistols on either side of Em belonging to Briggen and Godsworth were pointed at Tom. But Tom's angry gaze did not waver from Em's emotionless one. "You'll be payin' me, or I'll blow yer brains out," he told her.

_There will be hell to pay!_ Em thought furiously fifteen minutes later as she burst out through Tom's swinging doors. In her wake, Briggen and Godsworth hastened to follow, carrying in their arms the kegs of rum they had ordered. Em stopped walking long enough to offer some help to them, which they accepted gratefully and each gave her one keg of rum. "_Fifty shillings!_" Em cried as she and the other two continued on to the harbor.

"We could 'ave shot h'im before he'd 'ave shot ye, cap'n," Briggen mumbled.

It was Godsworth who disagreed. "Nah, we wouldn't o' stood a chance."

"But payin' fifty shillings?" Briggen argued. "Tha's-"

"Enough talk," Em snapped, and the two fell silent. They were weaving their way in and out of the crowd and were nearing The Raven. "I'll settle it late-" Em stopped talking and froze in her place as she stared at the dock that jutted from the harbor next to her ship. The dock was filled with all the orders she had made the men that went into town get, but there was no one in sight; not even a man guarding their stuff.

Briggen and Godsworth stopped on either side of her, eyes wide in surprise.

"Where is ev'ryone?" Briggen whispered fearfully.

Em silently approached the cargo and placed the two kegs of rum on top of the nearest crate. She beckoned them forward. "Stay here and watch the cargo," Em told them quietly.

Without another word, she left them and slowly walked up the wooden ladder, keeping her pistol ready for anything. Em strongly felt as if she was being watched on all sides, and it made her very uneasy. She noticed that there was no sign of activity going on the deck even before she finally set foot on it, but Em soon knew why. Her eyes widened as she saw all of her men tied together and gagged at the foot of the main mast. They all stared up at her, silently pleading for her to untie them. Em unsheathed her cutlass and hurried towards them. She found Michael and Mr. Drummond tied next to each other. As soon as she removed the cloths tied around their mouths, they both shouted, "It's a trap!"

However, it was too late to warn Em. She was now aware that she and her men were surrounded on all sides. Lifting her cutlass, she brought it down and cut Michael loose. "Set the others free," she quickly ordered. Em heard footsteps behind her and spun around, coming face to face with Jack Sparrow.

"What gives you the damn right to take over my ship and tie up my crew!" she shouted angrily.

Jack merely smirked and threw up his hands. "Pirate," he replied simply, but Em heard the pride in his voice.

She pointed her pistol at his head. "Get off my ship before I blow your head off," she threatened. "I told you that I never wanted to speak to you again!" she added with an extra layer of menace in her tone.

Jack chuckled. "Yes, I heard you say you ne'er wanted to speak to me again, love, but not once did I hear from you that you ne'er wanted to see me again," he replied. Jack smiled widely and his crew shouted with laughter at their captain's clever comeback.

"What do you want from me?" Em demanded.

"I'm here to pick up where we left off last night, love" Jack told her.

Em heard some muffled sounds of protests from behind her, but did not turn around to see who it was from. She had an idea who it was, though. "There is nothing to discuss," she snapped.

Jack looked at her with amusement. "O' course there is, Emelia," he said.

Em pointed her gun off to the side and pulled the trigger.

"Rawk! _Shiver me timbers!_" Cotton's parrot practically screamed as it frantically took flight. The old, mute man the parrot had left was staring at the empty space beside him where one of his crew mates had once been standing. Down below, the dark ocean water rippled and bubbled.

Em pointed the smoking gun nozzle back at Jack with a cold look. "You'll be next if you and your crew don't get off my ship," she threatened. Her thumb slowly pulled back the hammer.

Jack threw his hands in front of him and waved them frantically. "Now wait a moment!" he cried. "Hear me out-!"

"I've heard enough from you," Em snarled. "I hate you!"

Even with his life on the line, Jack had the guts to dramatically clutch his chest and gasp as if having a heart attack. "Emelia darling, yer breaking me heart!" he said. His crew laughed again, but this time they sounded slightly worried.

Em wasn't sharing joke. She glared at Jack. "You broke my heart a long time ago," she told him seriously. "So now we're even," she added coldly.

The smile on Jack's face dropped like a dead fly and he let his arms fall back to his sides. He decided that now he'd start being serious about the matter. "Alright love, no more games," he said wearily. "You and I will join once more for another grand adventure." He tried to give her a half hearted smile, but it did nothing to soften the hard look on Em's face.

"No," she said stubbornly.

Jack's old spirit leaped like a flame in his dark eyes. "O' course you will," he told her and began to slowly pace the length of the deck in front of her. Everyone watched him.

Em glowered at him. "And why would I?" she asked curtly.

Jack stopped in front of her and smiled. "Because, you'll eventually have no choice since I could just follow you to the treasure with this-" Jack patted the compass attached to his belt. "Savvy?"

Em didn't really want to admit it, but Jack had a point. With that compass, she wouldn't be able to avoid him, and he really would follow after her to the Fountain of Youth. _Besides_, the voice of reason in the back of her mind added, _it'd be a more than enough advantage having Jack with us again_. Also, half of her secretly wanted to be with Jack again. Despite everything she tried to tell herself otherwise. Em sighed defeatedly.

"All right," she replied softly. She heard the sharp intake of breaths behind her and turned to her surprised crew. "You all have to admit that it's true. He'd have followed us to the treasure, and we'd be stuck with the work, mates," she told them.

Everyone but Tim nodded in understanding. Everyone but Tim knew that it was better to have Captain Jack Sparrow join them.

"We don't need him or his bloody crew!" Tim shouted. He stepped towards Em. He menacingly towered over her.

Em looked up at him impassively. "Stand down, man," she told him emotionlessly.

"No," Tim said coldly.

"I said"-Em pressed her pistol at his gut-"stand down," she growled.

Tim lowered his head and whispered, "We'll all pay for letting him join us."

Em glared into his dark green eyes. "None more than you, I suspect," she told him. Em turned around and walked up to Jack. "Name your terms," she barked.

Jack smiled down at her, greatly pleased with the outcome of this, and that he didn't have any part of him blown up. "We don't have to discuss them now," he told her lightly. Jack started towards the wooden ladder. "Just meet me at Tom's bar tonight, and we'll discuss the terms," he told her over his shoulder.

At the mention of Tom, anger flooded into Em again. She walked up to Jack and placed the blade of her cutlass on his shoulder. "Hold right there!" she shouted.

Jack carefully pushed the blade off of his shoulder and slowly turned around with a confused look. "Pardon love?" he asked.

"Thanks to you, me and my crew are no longer welcomed at Tom's bar!" Em shouted. "And I had to pay the full fifty shilling price for his damn chandelier that you helped break!"

"_Fifty shillings?!_" Michael spluttered from behind.

A surprised look replaced the confused one on Jack's face. "Fifty shillings?" he asked skeptically. "Well that's not right." Jack smiled again. "Well don't worry, love. I'll have everything straightened out by the time you get to Tom's," he promised. Then he was gone.

Em slowly turned around and was instantly confronted by Marty and Cotton. "Why are you still doing here?" she demanded. She noticed that they were the only ones left of Jack's crew onboard.  
Marty's bright blue eyes looked up at her. "Jack told us to stay 'ere and help load your cargo onto the Pearl," he informed her.

Em looked at them with surprise. "Onto the Pearl?" she repeated.

They nodded.

There's going to be a lot more to this than I thought, Em realized and her stomach seemed to sink. She turned to her crew members and noticed that Tim was not there. Well it's all for the best right now, she thought grimly.

_What am I getting into?_


	18. An Accord and Then Some

With the rest of the afternoon, Em helped the half of her crew assigned by Michael to bring the ordered cargo to the Black Pearl. She saw no sign of Jack throughout the whole process which made her feel both greatly relieved and secretly disappointed. The other half of her crew were being treated by Ozz below deck for any nasty injuries from Jack's little "ambush" and also from last night with the bar room brawl. Em had been a bit concerned for Mr. Drummond who had looked particularly paler, and had even ordered him to take the rest of the day to rest since tomorrow everyone would be waking up very, very early.

"Do you think I did right when I told Jack we'd let him and his crew join us?" Em asked Michael's reflection in the mirror as she prepared herself to go to the town in her Captain's Quarters. The sun had been slowly dropping beyond the horizon when Em returned to her ship.

Michael's reflection stared at her, though the real Michael stood behind her. He gave her a small smile and nodded. "I think it's better for everyone that Jack is coming," he replied carefully. He didn't know Em's exact feelings about the situation and wanted to tread the murky waters cautiously.

A shadow appeared across Em's face. "Not for Tim," she observed ominously.

True to his word, which was slightly surprising to Em, Jack had somehow convinced Tom to let Em come into his bar that night without trying to get her hanged. When she entered the bar room, she warily looked towards the bar and instantly locked eyes with the masculine owner. Wanting to avoid any more confrontation from Tom, Em approached the side of the bar where his short wife, Juliet, was taking drink orders.

"'Ello Jules," Em greeted her.

Juliet smiled serenely. Even if her husband was still mad at Em, she was not. It was just part of the business. Juliet leaned across the bar as best as she could, but Em still had to lean forward herself so she could hear Juliet saying over the noise, "Don't worry about me husband, Em. Jack's gotten him to quiet down and you're off the hook."

Em grinned at the good news. "My gratitude," she replied.

Juliet straightened and shook her head, though the little serene smile never left her face. "You should be thanking Mr. Sparrow," she told the other woman.

"Can I get a bottle of rum?" Em asked quickly, pointedly ignoring that comment. She didn't want to have to think about Jack yet.

Juliet nodded, fully understanding the abrupt change of topic, and soon was plunking a glass bottle full of amber liquid in front of her female customer. "Three shillings," she said professionally.

Em counted out the money and placed them into Juliet's plump outstretched hand. Taking the bottle, Em popped the cork and took a swig. "Where is Jack?" Em asked and suppressed the urge to burp.

"Where you two met last night," suddenly came Tom's voice, making Em jump. He had appeared right next to his short wife and was glowering down at Em.

Em willed herself not to look at Juliet out of her new found nervousness and stared up at Tom's dark eyes unblinkingly. "I hear that Jack straightened a few things out," she started carefully.

Tom grunted, and whether it was a good sign or not, neither of the women knew.

"I think someone be calling me," Juliet suddenly said and was gone a moment later, leaving Em and Tom.

There was an awkward pause. Then Tom surprised Em by thrusting one of his big hands in front of her. Em lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

Tom shrugged. "Eh, I can't stay mad at ye for long," Tom said as a way of apologizing for losing his temper on her in the afternoon.

Em grinned and shook his hand. "It was Ozz's fault, you know," she told him.

Tom also grinned. "Yea, and he's gonna be paying me fer it next time he come around."

Em took her hand back and laughed. With a friendly wave, she left the bar. Passing Juliet on the way, Em turned her head and winked at her, telling Tom's wife that everything was fine now between her and her husband. Em turned her attention back to the front and that's when she noticed where her feet had taken her. She stopped right inside the doorway leading into the rarely used room of the first floor that she had been in just last night. Em bit her bottom lip in agitation. Sucking up her courage, she stepped inside and looked around.

Like last night, it was empty but for only one other person who sat from across the same round table he had sat at last night: Jack Sparrow. He had a few more bottles on top of the table than he had had last night; all empty but one that was in his hand. His tricorn hat was tipped over his eyes and he was now drinking down the rum. He had not heard her come in.

For a fleeting moment, Em thought how easy it would be to just slip away while Jack's attention had not yet been alerted to her presence, but that moment soon passed as Em reminded herself that she was a pirate, a captain no less. She had to show some backbone.

"'Ello love. Thought ye would 'ave slipped away without me noticing?"

Em returned her attention to the man in front of her, whose full attention was on her too. Seeing the familiar twinkle in his eyes, which were no longer hidden from under his hat, Em quickly diverted her own eyes down to the necklace he wore around his neck and muttered a feeble "no" in reply to his question. However, she felt warmth flow into her cheeks, which gave her away.

Jack smirked and invited her to sit down next to him. To his delight (and secretly his relief), he didn't have to make her sit down next to him like he had last night because Em complied without a word. He noticed the half empty bottle of rum she clutched in her left hand and asked if she wanted another one.

Em took a swig from her bottle and wiped her lips with her sleeve. Her head was buzzing like a busy bee hive, but she didn't believe that the buzzing came from the drink this time. She looked back at Jack, steady in her gaze. "We have a lot to discuss about," she told him seriously.  
Jack smiled widely and cocked his head to the side. The jewel attached into his matted hair clinked as it hit the base of his neck. "How was yer day, Emelia?" he asked instead.

Without thinking, Em sarcastically muttered, "Peachy. It was fun moving all the cargo I had ordered from town to your bloody ship and it was much _more_ fun arguing with Tim about you." When she realized what she had said, Em's eyes widened and she quickly lowered her head so that her long hair fell in front of her scarlet cheeks.

Jack's first instinct was to laugh, but he swallowed his amusement by taking a quick drink from his bottle of rum. Setting the bottle with the empty others on the table, with that same hand, Jack reached towards Em's face (they sat facing each other) and pulled back one side of her hair. He gently pushed it behind her ear, and his ringed finger brushed two of the six small gold rings Em had along the ridge of her ear. Surprised by the familiar intimate gesture, Em snapped her head back up, wide-eyed. She felt the color drain out of her face and she pushed Jack's hand away.

"Don't touch me like that," she hissed. She didn't know why she was angry that Jack had done that, but she knew that she didn't want the pirate to do something like it again. When Jack's finger had touched the flesh of her ear, Em had instantly felt like she had been shocked, but in an ecstatic way; in a way that shocked the butterflies in her stomach to life.

Jack leaned back in his chair and grabbed the bottle of rum from the table, taking a sip from it. "If I didn't know any better, love, you'd think that ol' _charming_"-the word dripped with sarcasm-"Tim was a eunuch," Jack said. Then he added with a little spite in his tone, "But o' course not, since you, yourself, personally know that he isn't."

Even with her tan, Em knew she was glowing red from embarrassment and rage. She was also deeply hurt by Jack's words, however light and cheerful they had sounded. "Why do you even care, _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?" she snapped.

Jack actually flinched at the reference to his whole name, including the use of "captain". But he managed to smirk, with a hint of ice around the edges. The twinkle was gone in his dark eyes now, and his demeanor was aloof and distant. "I don't care, love," he told her, but even to him, he 

didn't sound like he meant it. "But I do want to know why you two were arguing about me," he added and smiled charmingly.

"We aren't here to discuss me and Tim," Em snapped. She was very ready to leave. Right now. The knuckles of her left hand were white from being clenched so tightly as she tried to control the trembling that suddenly had come over her.

And then Jack did something very surprising. With his other free hand, he reached for something behind him and then plunked a small brown bag onto the table. Em heard the muffled, but still distinct, clink of money in the bag and stared at Jack with confusion written all over her face.

"What's that?" she asked stupidly.

"The fifty shillings that I owe you," came the surprising answer.

Em's dainty jaw dropped open slightly.

Jack found it hard not to smile at the look of shock on her face. Despite still being more than a little angry about a few moments ago when they had touched on the subject of her and Tim, he still thought she was as irresistible and lovely as ever. Time really did much to the heart, even if he wanted to deny it; before and now.

"Jack," Em finally managed to say, "You can't give me this." Em shook her head to clear away the haze of shock in her head and became more serious. "If you really had talked to Tom," she continued in a brusque manner, "then you'd have known I paid thirty-eight shillings for his bloody chandelier; which means that you only have to pay me nineteen shillings!" Her hand stretched towards the bag, but Jack firmly laid his own warm palm on top of hers. Their gazes met and Em saw the twinkle back in his eyes.

A wide smile slowly spread on Jack's face and he leaned forward so that he was so close to Em that as he talked, their lips made soft contact several times, "Well think of it this way, love: you'll be payin' fer all me drinks tonight."

Though he had the stink of rum on his breath, it was hard for Em to keep herself from falling into those warm, fleshy lips like she had done in the past. She slowly closed her eyes, and then opened them again. She saw that Jack was waiting for her to kiss him, to take up the bait he made for her, but she wouldn't. Not even to lessen the pang of longing in her heart.

"Corsair," she whispered and moved back into her seat, away from him.

Jack sighed, half in disappointment and half longingly. Ah well, he thought as he, too, settled back into his seat. They had a whole voyage ahead of them still.

Em took another swig of rum. She wasn't feeling any major effects of being drunk yet, and it was quite evident that neither was Jack. So until they got rip-roaring drunk, they'd have to settle their business.

"I've had five casualties because of the brawl last night," she told him candidly.

Jack lifted the bottle to his lips and tilted it up, but his lips met no liquid. He squint his right eye and looked inside, but saw to his dismay that it was empty. He looked at the half full bottle in Em's hand longingly.

Em rolled her eyes and gave him her bottle. Same ol' Jack, she thought, although in her mind, it didn't sound unkind.

Jack smiled brightly, set the empty bottle with the others on the table, and took her offered bottle, the multiple rings on his fingers clinking as they made contact with the glass. After taking a swig out of that, he asked, "So how many crew members d'you have now?"

Em crossed her long legs in front of her, certainly getting Jack's attention on them for a moment. She cleared her throat, and when she regained his eyes on her face, said, "I have about twenty-five men now."

Jack nodded, pleased with both the rum and the number.

"And how many men do you have?" Em asked.

"'Bout the same if you count the men I left on Tortuga," was the reply. He saw the troubled look on her face, and as if he had read her mind, suggested, "We can always leave those men here, if to accommodate your men."

Em smiled wryly. "Wouldn't your men want to join in this adventure for eternal youth?" she asked sarcastically.

Jack chuckled. "I didn't even tell my men about the fountain," he told her.

Em quirked her eyebrow in curiosity. "Why not?" she demanded.

Jack shrugged and gestured his hands about characteristically. "Why not, why not?" he countered dismissively.

Em was actually speechless. Even if Jack hadn't verbally said it, he was actually saying that he didn't really care if his crew knew or not. "You didn't even tell Gibbs?" Em accused.

"Love, Gibbs is always the one to know beforehand," Jack told her and smirked.

Em rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Now there's a matter of captaincy-"

"It's my ship, so I'm taking full captaincy," Jack interrupted abruptly.

Em glared at him. "It might be your ship, but I am the one leading us all to the fountain," she argued heatedly.

Jack knew if he kept arguing, they'd end up fighting again to no benefit on both sides, so he proposed a compromise of sorts. "Alright, how's about we _both_ have shared captaincy, but I'll continue to direct my men, and you yours," he suggested.

Em relaxed, but her eyebrows were knitted in intense thought. "That'll be hard," she said slowly, but she nodded in agreement anyway.

Jack stuck out his right hand in front of her, the left still holding the bottle of rum. Jack pierced Em with a steady look despite how he should be pretty drunk by now. "Do we have an accord, love?" he asked. Em hesitated for a moment, a thousand thoughts running in her mind telling her how many things would and will go wrong if she agreed, but she threw caution to the winds, nodded, and shook Jack's outstretched hand. When Em tried to take her hand back, Jack still held on to it tightly.

Em's first instinct was so punch him to get him to let her hand go, but she nixed that idea immediately once another, better idea come into mind. She decided she would have some fun and toy a little with Jack. "Give me my hand, Jack," Em calmly told him.

Jack's trade-mark, mischievous grin lit up his face and sent Em's butterflies soaring. "I don't think so," he remarked. He pulled her closer towards him with every intention of kissing her but at the last moment, Em lowered her head so his lips only brushed her moist forehead.

Em lifted her other hand and pushed back his dirty sleeve above his forearm to reveal two interesting marks on his arm. The first one was an all-too-familiar "P" brand on his wrist; the mark of a pirate that had been branded by the East India Trade Company. Em had one also, one her upper right arm, and as her long fingers gently ran over Jack's brand, her own felt like it was burning like the day Cutler Beckett branded her. Without looking up at Jack's curious gaze, she casually remarked, "You never told me how you marked Beckett, Jack."

Jack swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Her soft touch was very arousing, and he knew that she knew it too. However, he, having many years of experienced with women, was onto her game and was not about to be led onto something that might only have come from the influence of rum. "That's because I ne'er did," he answered quickly. He tried to jerk his hand away from her grasp, but now it was Em who held onto his hand tightly.

Em raised her head up to meet his surprised, dark eyes, plainly showing him that she wasn't drunk or addled by the half bottle of rum she had drunk. She smiled slightly and tilted her head slightly to the side so that one of her pierced ears shown. "I thought as much," she said softly, even as her fingers ran over his blue tattoo of a sparrow flying in front of a setting sun over the ocean.

Jack felt the skin her fingers touched tingled in a familiar, intimate way. His already chaotic mind was becoming more disoriented than what drinking a thousand bottles of rum can ever do to him as he inched closer to her. He didn't know that at that very moment as she stared into his twinkling eyes that her heart was nearly bursting from wanting to tell him how much she had missed him these two years he had been away. And he didn't know that as Em let go of his hand and suddenly stood up, that it took a lot of her incredible will power not to throw herself at him, crying into his arms.

She smiled slowly, an engaging, lovely smile that had Jack fiercely wanting to kiss her as he quickly stood up like a reckless, love-sick man. Maybe he was.

"I think I should be taking my leave now," Em said. Without taking her eyes off of Jack's, she reached towards the table and took the bag full of fifty shillings. She held it up. "I'll pay Tom for your rum, but you'll be paying after that." Em chuckled.

Jack's eyebrows rose. "What makes you think I'm staying, love?" he asked seriously.

Em was taken aback. "I just assumed-" she started, but Jack cut her off.

"Well your assumption was definitely assumed in the wrong, and now might I assume that you will be returning to your ship?"

Em blinked slowly, letting her mind soak in what he just said for a whole minute before she spoke, "Yes, you've _assumed _right." He still is as confusing as ever, she thought to herself. She was no longer playing her game with Jack, but just wanted to get back to The Raven. Em tied the bag full of money to her waist and hoped that, as she walked out of the room with Jack in tow, that she wouldn't be prey to pickpockets.

Tom looked up as they approached and actually grinned and waved a little as they stopped in front of him at the bar.

Must have been drinking, Em thought as she untied the bag and plunked it in front of Tom. "How much does Jack owe for his drinks?" she asked.

* * *

"Did you really have to get _another_ bottle of rum?" Em complained as she and Jack, side-by-side, walked out of Tom's bar and into the rowdy streets of Tortuga.

Jack brought the bottle in question away from his lips and smirked. "I couldn't resist since you were payin' right there and then, love," he slurred. He swayed as he walked next to her, nearly tripping at one point. Em rolled her eyes and decided to hold onto Jack's arm to keep him from falling over from his drunken stupor. "Thank you, darling," Jack said and smiled down at her.

Em managed a half hearted smile up at him and held (more like clung) onto his arm tighter. Jack felt the pressure and quickly disengaged himself from her hold. Instead, he flung the same arm around Em's shoulders and drew her closer to his body as they walked.

"What are you doing?" Em asked as she helped navigate him past a few loud pirates who looked to be starting a fight.

Even if he wasn't thinking as clearly as a while ago, Jack knew what she meant but gave her a half the truth, "I am makin' sure I don't fall flat on me face," he replied cheerfully.

Em looked away and stayed quiet after. So many thoughts were running through her head that she needed time to think. But that was time she didn't have. She spotted an alleyway dark with shadows and noticed that no one was anywhere near it. Deciding quickly, Em pulled Jack towards and into the alleyway. She ducked out from under his arm and then pushed him up against the wall. Neither of them could see the other's face. Em could not see the delighted grin on Jack's face at this compromising position he was in now, nor could he see the anger, confusion, and desire in her eyes.

"What are you going to do now, Emelia?" Jack's disembodied voice gently taunted her from somewhere slightly above her head.

Em did not reply but instead, she lifted herself by the tips of her toes and kissed him passionately. She felt Jack try to get her lips to open up for him to explore and pulled her head away from his before that could happen. They were both breathing hard. The distant sounds of laughter, shouting, and many gun shots outside the alleyway sounded distant and surreal now. Em let go of Jack and stepped back, so that the light of the crescent moon above fell upon her, and Jack did see the anger, confusion, and desire in her eyes.

"There, Jack Sparrow!" Em shouted angrily at him. She couldn't see his face because his upper body beginning from his waist was still hidden by the shadows. "You got what you've been wanting this whole night! Now just leave me alone; leave _us_ alone - for good."

Jack's hands suddenly shot out and roughly pulled her back to him. His lips crushed hers as he swept her up in another passionate kiss. When he had brought her to the shelter of his warm, lean 

body, Em had put her left hand up instinctively to push him away, and now it was that hand that was pressed firmly in between their chests, directly over her heart, and immobile. Her right hand held onto Jack's left elbow tight. There was a moment when Em wanted to fight him, but she completely and simply gave in. She moaned from pleasure and felt Jack's tongue take advantage, feeling every cavern of her mouth. Her right hand left his elbow and went to his head, tangling her fingers amidst his own tangle of hair. _I love you_, spun in her head like a dog chasing down its tail in vain. It was in her sight, but she could not grasp it.

"I still love you, Emelia Kraven."

Em was shaken to her very core. She had not realized that Jack had stopped kissing her, and had not realized that he had pushed both of them out into the moonlight so that he could see her reaction to his words. And Em was in shock. And she was filled with immense sadness. She looked up at Jack's twinkling eyes and closed her own.

"Love, why are you crying?" Jack asked in a grieved tone. He lifted his right hand and brushed away the tear that rolled down her pale cheek.

"Jack," Em's voice seemed so small and vulnerable to her ears, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Jack was surprised by her answer. "Doing what?" he demanded. The tender moment with Em was quickly disappearing before his eyes.

Em opened her eyes again and fixed him a steady gaze filled with many mixed emotions. "You told me the reason why you left me," she started. "You are telling me that you still love me, but it doesn't cover up the fact that you left me before. You broke my heart when you left."

"But you still love me too," Jack said. It was a statement, and not a question.

Em took her hand away from his head and stepped out of his arms. Her left hand was still over her heart. "Of course I do!" she cried. "I want to tell you how much I want to be with you, but doing so would just risk me being left by you again and you breaking my heart all over again!"

It happened so fast. Jack's face took on a closed look, like a window that had been shut from the outside world.

"Well then, I believe this concludes our business, Em," he snapped.

Em staggered, as if she had been greatly wounded by him by his reference to calling her plain "Em"; not "love," not "darling," and certainly not "Emelia". Just plain and cold "Em". Em stretched her left hand towards Jack, a pleading look on her face, but Jack looked away and soon was gone, leaving Em standing alone in the alley with tears pouring like great waterfalls down her pale cheeks.

Not caring who saw her in this pityfull state, Em stepped out of the alleyway and slowly made her way towards the harbor, looking in an almost desperate frenzy for any sign of Jack so she could try to apologize. He just couldn't get it. _He_ was the one who left! Not her! Em shouldn't have to be apologizing because _he_ should be apologizing! She shouldn't be feeling this intense pain in her chest, this sudden empty loss. As quickly as it took for her to lose Jack, Em was standing on the dock her ship was docked at. She looked up at her ship, but did not seem to actually see it. Her eyes started to glaze over from her tears and her thoughts.


	19. Beginning the Jointed Adventure

"Ahoy there, Em!" Michael's jolly voice called to her from above.

Em blinked a few times and found that the harbor scenery had changed. It was a new day; not the horribly chaotic night she had with Jack last night. The wooden ladder in front of her would not take her up to The Raven. It was Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, which it led to.

Em groggily shook her head and looked up at the clear blue sky as if she had just woken up from a dream. The sun had just barely broken from the horizon to her left. Fresh gusts of ocean air swept through her and playfully tousled her long hair. She was dressed in the same clothes she wore last night. It was too early for the seagulls to fly out in search for food, but it was not early enough to start the great adventure her whole crew had been waiting for.

"Cap'n Em, ye comin' aboard or we be leaving ye here?" shouted Mr. Drummond's strong but croaky voice from the Pearl.

Pushing events and lasting emotions of last night that she had been thinking of to the back of her mind, Em slung the duffel bag she carried in her right hand over her shoulder and raised her left hand in acknowledgement. Em started to walk towards Michael, who waited for her at the top. It was hard to look into his bright, happy face, but Em did anyway or else he would have figured something wrong with her like he always did.

"Where is Jack?" she asked casually as she surveyed the deck. Every man, both Jack and hers, were bustling about with their chores as they all helped prepare to set sail. Before Em had left Tom's bar last night, she had extracted from him a promise that he would take good care of The Raven while she was gone.

"Gone where?" Tom had asked curiously.

"Gone where no man would try to go, mate," Jack had replied before Em had the chance to.

"Jack's up on the poop deck directing Tim to his duties," Michael replied and nodded to their left. What should have been in place of the word "directing" was "ordering."

Em pursed her lips together into a thin line. "Not good," she muttered under her breath. Nodding to Michael, she started towards the stairs. As she passed, Em observed what some of the familiar faces of her crew were doing at that moment. Mr. Drummond was at his usual post-no matter what ship-up in the crow's nest. Briggen and Godsworth were nowhere to be seen so Em assumed they were down below. She saw Ozz helping a few of Jack's men to secure the already hoisted sails. As Em climbed up the stairs, she could hear Jack's loud, raspy voice booming into her ears.

"-shouldn't be a problem, mate, since we are both going to be on the same ship (_my_ ship, I might add) for these next few weeks, maybe even months," Jack was saying cheerfully. There they were, behind the large, wooden steering wheel. They both stood facing each other with a yard of space in between them. Em couldn't see Jack's face since his back was facing her, but she could plainly see Tim's face. And it was flushed red with rage at having to be lectured by Jack Sparrow. His dark green eyes were glaring daggers at the older man in front of him, wishing that he'd drop dead right then and there. Em could see that the fingers of his right hand were itching to unsheathe his cutlass from his belt. Not wanting to see if Tim would try anything, she loudly cleared her throat.

The two men's attentions were quickly on her.

"Em," Tim said warmly and smiled at his captain. Whether he really was glad to see her or the intimacy in his tone was just to irk Jack, by the blazing look on Jack's face, Tim had effortlessly made the older man jealous.

Em somehow felt like she was caught in between their crossfire. They were, in a way, using her against the other. She knew Tim was very jealous about her previous history with Jack and so wanted to make sure Jack knew that she was over him when all three of them knew that she wasn't. It was all confusing, but Em wasn't about to let this get in the way of her first and most important goal: to get to the Fountain of Youth.

Em walked up to Tim until she was looking up at him and he looking down at her. "Help the men bring up the anchor. I imagine that they'll be glad for another hand," she ordered coolly.

The smile that had been on Tim's face dropped. He had been certain that she would scold Jack Sparrow for ordering him, as a member of her crew, about. His green eyes looked over her head and saw the smirk Jack was trying to suppress, although the corners of his eyes were crinkled in amusement. Anger exploded in the pit of his stomach.

"Why are you standing there like a dumbstruck addlepate?" Em snapped. "Get to work!"

Tim forced himself to tear his eyes away from the open grin on Jack's face. "Aye, captain," he snarled and turned in his heel and stormed off.

Then Em spun around to face Jack and also saw the grin that Tim had seen. "Jack Sparrow, you should not be ordering a member of my crew about," she scolded him. "We had agreed last night"-she tried not to wince at mentioning it-"that you will order your crew about and me mine."

Still grinning Jack inclined his head mockingly. "And so it shall be," he replied airily. "However, I was not ordering young Tim about," he added slyly and wagged his index finger underneath her nose. "I was but lecturing him on the finer points of being a good pirate." Jack beamed down at Em's scowl. Thinking he got the best of her this time, Jack turned around and began to walk down the opposite stairs she had used.

"Get back here!" Em shouted and quickly followed him. "I'm not finished talking to you yet!"

For a brief moment, Jack glanced at her over his shoulder. "Not finished talking, eh?" he sarcastically muttered. In a louder voice, he said, "Funny, I thought you standing there a moment ago like a 'dumbstruck addlepate' was the end of that lovely conversation."

In fact at that moment, Em really was struck speechless by surprise. Why would Jack use her words against her? For a few moments, she stood there on the stairs as Jack continued onto the deck, inspecting the men's work and ordered them about. "Is he really that mad at me?" she softly asked herself out loud. Her unanswered question fueled any stored anger inside of her and helped her come back to her senses. Em leaped down the last couple of steps, shouting, "Get back here!" She noticed that Jack wasn't on deck and spun around wildly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the doors leading to Jack's quarters wide open. Em quickly strode towards the doors.

"Jack Sparrow, I'm not finished talking to you yet!" Em cried as she entered the spacious room. She walked around the large square beam that helped erect the ceiling above and planted herself firmly in front of Jack, who sat on a tall reclining chair behind his rickety writing desk.

Jack looked up from the world map he had been consulting and he gave Em a shrewd look. "I'm sorry, love. What d'you want to tell me again?" he asked lazily. Jack tossed the wooden pencil he held in his right hand onto the desk and leaned back in his seat, giving Em his undivided attention with a smirk on his lips.

Em dropped her duffel bag onto the floor and put her hands on her hips as she glared at Jack. "Are you that upset about last night?" she demanded angrily.

Jack leaned back further into his seat and propped his boots one on top of the other on an unused space of his writing desk. "Is there a particular reason why I shouldn't be, Em?" he asked pleasantly, deliberately using her nickname.

"Don't call me Em," Em snapped.

Jack's eyebrows rose in a bemused expression. "I'm sorry," he began lightly and waved his finger in the air, "but I thought that since the _only_ reason we are on a jointed adventure is to find the Fountain of Youth, I had come to believe that we should be addressing each other in formal fashion like those who don't give a damn about the other." To Em, the grin on Jack's face had a touch of cynicism to it. "Savvy?"

Em felt her eyes sting with tears but rapidly blinked them back. Although Jack's tone had been pleasant the whole time he had been talking, Em could see the blade-sharp anger in his eyes that he didn't bother to hide. Em took a deep breath and asked, "Is that what you want, then? You finally agree that we should put our past behind-"

"No, no, no! I do not want to put our past behind!" Jack suddenly growled, for the first time losing his temper. He jumped to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Em. "What I want is for you to forgive me and for you to stop denying that you still love me, Emelia!"

In a tearful voice, Em said, "I can never deny that I still love you, Jack Sparrow, because I've always loved you." She closed her eyes and hung her head low. Her long hair obscured her face like a pair of curtains closing themselves over a window.

Jack sighed heavily and walked towards Em until he was standing in front of her. He quickly pulled her into his arms and tilted her head up by the chin so he could look into her pale, tear-stained face. "So you forgive me, love?" he whispered.

Em sniffed softly and shook her head in the negative. She pulled away from his embrace and stared up at him with a determined look on her face. "It is forgiveness that I deny you, Jack," she told him coldly.

"But why not?" he demanded. "I've told you my reason for leaving - and it seemed to be a rather noble reason, might I add!"

Em shook her head again. "Forgiving you would mean to love you wholly again, and to love you wholly means that you will break my heart again when you leave me after this adventure is done, she explained softly. Em closed her eyes tight and bit the bottom of her lip as if to keep from crying out loud from the pain only she felt. She opened her dark brown eyes that glistened with her unshed tears. "I can't bear to feel my heart broken again, Jack," she added sadly. "Not when it hadn't fully healed in the first place."

Both Jack and Em's ears pricked up like foxes that have heard the unwelcome footsteps of a hunting dog as the sounds of a pair of boots came from behind the large beam behind Em. Em quickly dried her face as the boots stopped a few feet behind her and Michael's loud, bright voice rang out through the gloomy atmosphere, "Both anchors' been weighed in and we're ready to set sail, captains."

Jack tilted his head up slightly in a commanding gesture and nodded to Michael. "Good job, Mr. Turnbull," Jack replied brusquely. "Back to your post, mate." Jack noticed the annoyed look on Em's face and quickly amended, "By yer captain's approval, o' course."

Em turned around and saw Michael's sky blue eyes looking at her inquisitively. If he noticed how pink her eyes were or how blotchy her face was from crying, he wasn't saying anything. Em nodded her head curtly and then motioned for Michael to leave.

Without another word, Michael left the two captains alone again.

Em took a shaky breath and turned back to Jack. She noticed that he was back on the other side of his writing desk and had taken up the pencil he had discarded. His head was bent down in deep concentration and he did not look up to meet Em's sad eyes.

After a few moments of unbearable silence that were slightly punctuated by the scratches of Jack's pencil, Em mustered up the breath to weakly say, "I'll leave you to your map then." She waited for Jack to look up and say something, anything, but all the other captain did was motion with his left hand to acknowledge what she had said. Em bit her bottom lip to keep herself from saying anything else to Jack. She left her duffel bag where it was and started for the exit.

"You know you lied, Emelia," Jack suddenly said.

Em stopped right next to the wooden, square beam and spun around. Jack was looking straight at her with a contemplative look on his face. His elbows were propped on his desk with his hands clasped together before him.

"'Bout what, mate?" Em asked stiffly.

Jack smiled sadly at her from across the room. "You say that you still love me"-he tilted his head to the side-"but that is a downright lie, darling. If you really do love me, then it wouldn't be so hard for you to forgive me for leaving you." Jack raised his right hand and pointed at her. "I left you because I wanted to _protect_ you, and even if I do end up leaving you again and end up breaking yer heart again, it's because I love you Emelia Kraven," he finished. Jack squint his eyes and tilted his head to the other side. "Now tell me, love, have I ever done anything to make you distrust me?" he asked seriously.

It felt as if an invisible hand was grabbing Em's heart and squeezing it mercilessly. Em lowered her eyes, ashamed. No, he hadn't. Not before, not now, and probably not ever. "I'll keep that in mind, Jack," she told him quietly.

Jack nodded slowly and watched as she turned away from him and walked out of the room. He heard the doors swing shut and sighed heavily before lowering his head back to the map in front of him. However, he didn't feel like concentrating on it anymore. Jack rested his arms on top of his desk and wearily let his head fall into his arms.

* * *

Em closed the double doors behind her with a smart snap and took a deep, quavering breath. She left the doors and walked down the main deck towards the bow, or the front, of the Pearl while dodging the busy men with their tasks. Activity had lightened up a bit since she had first boarded the ship, but many were busy making sure the ropes were tied down securely to the spars that were scattered on either sides of the Pearl and helped tie down the ropes. As Em stepped onto the part of the deck at the bow that was slightly higher than the rest of the main deck, she noticed that the Pearl was already out of the harbor and they were starting to sail away from the bay of Tortuga. Em's eyes moved along the prow, or the wooden beam that extended out from the bow, and her eyes rested on the figurehead.

The figurehead of any ship was usually a massive wooden statue (mostly female or an animal) that represented the name of the ship it belonged to. The figurehead of Em's ship was a statue of a soaring raven that was a perfect symbolization of the vessel. Em took particular pride in that work of art and made sure that it was always well oiled and cleaned every day.

Jack's figurehead was a large statue of a soaring angel. One of her hands was clutched over her heart while the other hand was stretched out and holding what Em assumed was a sparrow in her hand. Em held tight onto the ropes that ran from the foremast and the prow and then leaned forward as far as she dared. The angel was in need of some paint and repair. Em figured that long ago, the statue had been a very beautiful piece of artwork, but now the wood was cracked by time and the paint was long gone by the sea. Em's dark eyes carefully examined the angel's face. Curiously, algae had formed from under the angel's eyes and ran down her cheeks, giving the appearance that the angel was perpetually crying.

Em sighed and stared sorrowfully at the angel's face. Jack's figurehead represented Em's situation and feelings almost perfectly.

From behind Em, a heavy hand clamped down hard on her left shoulder, making the female pirate jump in surprise.

"Ye shouldn't be hanging so close to the edge, Em, else ye be fallin' to yer death." The gruff voice belonged to Gibbs.

With one hand still held tightly onto one of the ropes, Em placed the other hand over her wildly beating heart. She looked at the worn hand on her shoulder and followed it up to its owner, Joshamee Gibbs, Jack's first mate. The look she gave him now was one of annoyance. "Aye Gibbs, but you could have warned me without scaring the jeepers out outta me!" she shouted above the loud crashes of the waves against the bow below them.

Gibbs threw his head back and laughed out loud.

Em liked the sound of his warm, hearty laugh. Joshamee Gibbs always seemed more like a father figure to Em than a bilge-sucking buccaneer of the sea. Many years before, he had been a petty officer of the Royal Navy, but his determination to catch and punish as many pirates as he could led him to disgrace. Em remembered something very important about Gibbs and asked, "Oy Gibbs! How do you feel 'bout having me onboard?"

Gibbs smiled and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Ye know it's bad luck to have a woman onboard a ship, lass, _dreadfully_ bad luck, but to ye I'll make the exception," he told her. Then with that same hand, he pointed down to the waters below them. Em looked and her eyes widened with joy at the sight she saw.

"Dolphins!" she cried out in delight. She felt like a little girl again, excited to see the familiar water creature jumping and swimming along with the ship.

Gibbs moved to stand beside her. "Aye," he said in equal delight. "Good luck to have them with us," he added.

Em kept her eyes glued on the playful creatures below them. There were two on the side of the ship she was on and about three or four on Gibbs' side. "Why is it good luck to have them with us?" she asked Gibbs.

"Why, don't ye know the legend about dolphins, lass?" Gibbs asked her.

Em tore her eyes away from the dolphins and looked at the older man with a confused look. She shook her head. "No, tell me," she demanded, eyes wide with curiosity.

Gibbs chuckled like a grandfather would to an overeager grandchild, although neither he nor Em could hear the sound above the crashes of the waves and the squeals coming from the dolphins below. "Dolphins, Em, were seadogs that have died a noble death at sea," he started.

Em smiled at him. "Like you hope the same will happen with you?" she asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Aye," he replied, and then took up where he left off. "Ye see when a sailor, pirate or not, dies at sea, he has a choice of either going to the next life or staying in this life, but as a dolphin. Most oft, these sailors can't bear to leave behind the great ocean, and so they stay as these playful creatures. Thar be good luck 'cause these ol' seadogs are showing us to safety 'cuz of their past experiences at sea," Gibbs finished with a grin.

Em smiled softly. "That's wonderful, Mr. Gibbs," she replied.

Gibbs nodded. "Aye, it is," he said quietly.

Em looked down at the dolphins on her side, but she did not actually see them in her own eyes. In her cloudy eyes, she was seeing a face of a handsome man in his mid-twenties with the same raven black hair Em had that was cropped short but still fell into the same dark brown eyes that Em also had. On his right ear, he had a small gold earring hanging off his earlobe. The vision was Em's late older brother, Tobias Kraven, who had been a pirate and the former captain of The Raven.

Em had not thought about her brother in ten long years, since she first became a pirate herself. She thought about what Gibbs just told her about the dolphins and leaned over the banister to shout down at the dolphins, "Thank you!" Em laughed out loud in delight when she was sprayed by one of the dolphins on her side by their blowholes. "Scallywags!" she cried and wiped her face with her sleeve. Em looked back at Gibbs and noticed a troubled look on the older man's face. "What's the matter, Mr. Gibbs?" she asked him.

Gibbs slowly turned his head to her. "Em, do ye know what's wrong with Jack?" he asked seriously.

Em's momentary lightheartedness seemed to deflate out of her as the feelings she had felt earlier returned. "What else can be wrong with Jack except for the usual maladies?" she asked.

A troubled look crossed Gibbs' white-bearded face. "Last night when Jack had come back from meeting ye at the pub, he called an 'all night in' and then shut hisself in his cabin without another word," Gibbs told her.

Em bit her bottom lip. An "all night in" meant that there was no night watch that night which was unusual when a ship was docked in a place like Tortuga else it could be either plundered for its goods or stolen. "Did he seem a little distracted?" Em asked carefully.

Gibbs nodded. "Aye, a foul mood he was in actually," he added. Gibbs seemed to figure out something and gave Em a look. "What happened between ye and Jack last night?" he asked.

Em turned her head away from Gibbs and mournfully looked at the eternally weeping angel. Suddenly, Jack's raspy voice rang loud and clear in her head. _I left you because I wanted to _protect _you, and even if I do end up leaving you again and end up breaking yer heart again, it's because I love you Emelia Kraven. _

"Em?" Gibbs pressed.

A tear slipped unnoticed by Jack's first mate down Em's cheek. Honestly, she told him, "I don't know, Mr. Gibbs."


	20. Dear Mr Drummond

For the rest of the day until well into mid-afternoon, Em kept herself busy by helping the crew out with their various tasks, and more importantly making sure that none of the ropes slackened their hold on the numerous pegs along the ship.

In the late-afternoon, Em brought up the courage to return to Jack's Captain's Quarters to help plot out the route they would take to St. Augustine port in Florida, the town Juan Ponce de Leon founded himself during his search for the Fountain of Youth. The atmosphere in the spacious room was considerably lighter than it had been in the morning between Em and Jack. The whole time they talked, planned, and occasionally argued, they were more or less courteous to each other, acting more like two business partners than intimates who've known each other for a few years now. However, their earlier feud still hung in the air like traces of a bad stench that still clung onto the furniture, the air, and even to their very skins, Every smile they exchange was forced, and every time they touched (intentionally or not), it felt like an electric jolt.

Two hours since they started with half accomplished, Em slid off the armrest of Jack's chair she had been sitting on and slowly stretched her arms high in the air. She saw a sliver of the moon outside Jack's bay windows and felt her empty stomach rumble. She heard a soft chuckled from right next to her and turned to face Jack.

"Something funny?" she asked stiffly, though she could practically feel herself blush.

Jack looked up at Em from the half-finished map laid out before him and gave her a slow, genuine smile. "Nothing Em," he replied.

Em stared at him for what seemed like a long time before she turned away and began to walk towards the double doors. "We can finish this another time, Jack." She stopped right next to the large pillar and looked at him from over her shoulder.

Jack nodded. "Aye, we will," he agreed. "Where you going?" he added quickly before Em could take another step.

Em turned around on her heel so that she completely faced him. "I am hungry, so I'm hoping that Ozz is still serving supper," she told him. Em saw the surprised look on Jack's handsome features and resisted the incredible urge to smile. "Yes, Ozz can cook," she said. "Though I wouldn't say the same about his disgusting _haggis_," she added with a grimace.

Jack chuckled and then nodded. To him, it seemed that the room was a little brighter than it had been a few moments ago and it felt easier to breathe. "Go ahead then, and bring me a bottle of rum while yer at it!" he added, trying to act stern.

At this, to both of their surprise, Em actually burst out laughing. She had no idea what had come over her, but it may had something to do with Jack actually trying to be commanding with her. "Aye Jack Sparrow, I will," she promised him and started towards the double doors.

"And that's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, Emelia Kraven!" she heard him yell before she closed the doors behind her.

Em smiled and stood still in front of the double doors, taking in the cool night air around her. The winter months were coming upon them, but it didn't present a major weather change in the Caribbean Islands unless there were storms coming. The days were still mild and even hot, but the nights were becoming colder. Em let motion take her legs and they brought her down below to the third deck floor where the wine cellar was located along with the galley, or the kitchen. She was happy to see Ozz and the mute Cotton still there in front of the gigantic stove.

"Any more for me?" she asked pleasantly.

Ozz turned around and nodded with a small smile on his face. "Where ye been this day, cap'n?" he asked conversationally as he handed her a bowl full of clam chowder and a large piece of bread. "Wiv Jack, mayhap?" he teased and winked at his captain.

Em surprised him by actually blushing. "Aye, I was," she admitted.

Ozz smirked. "I hope ye two were doin' perductive things in 'is office," he said.

Em glared at him. "Watch your tongue Ozz, or you'll be as mute as Cotton here," she warned him and turned away. As she walked towards the wine cellar, Ozz looked towards Cotton with wide, terrified green eyes. Em grabbed the nearest bottle of rum for Jack and made her way up the winding wooden stairs, passing the crew's quarters where the majority of the crew members where there at that moment in the second level deck, and then up to the main deck. As she stepped onto the main deck, Em took the time to look up at the crow's nest. She spotted a familiar crown of thin white hair and felt guilt and pity at the bottom of her stomach. Poor Mr. Drummond, she thought. I don't want his old bones to suffer the night cold. I'll send someone to take his place later, she figured. Em heard heavy footsteps coming towards her and looked to her right, spotting Jack as the owner to the noise.

"'Ello Emelia," he greeted her and took the bottle of rum without further ado. Unscrewing the cork, he lifted the bottle to her as a small toast. "Ye should'a gotten another bottle," he said, and then took a long swig.

"I think I should'a too," Em sighed playfully as she watched him. Her mind replayed quickly to what he had first said and smiled.

When Jack lowered the bottle, he saw the smile on her face. "What?" he asked densely.

Em shook her head slowly. "Nothing Jack," she replied. She turned around and began to walk towards the main mast carrying her bowl of chowder and bread. Her soft voice trailed back to him, "You're calling me Emelia again."

A small roguish grin graced Jack's facial features for a brief moment before he hastily made it disappear as Em reached the base of the main mast, turned around, and sat upon an empty crate with her supper laid precariously on her lap. Jack walked over to her saying loudly, "Well o' course I'm calling you Emelia again 'cause that is yer name." Seeing another empty crate a few inches away, Jack scooted it closer to Em with the side of his foot and then sat down next to her, taking another drink of his rum.

They sat in comfortable silence then, and it was all they needed as Em ate her supper and Jack slowly emptied his bottle, getting himself slightly drunk in the process.

When she had consumed her food, Em placed the empty bowl and spoon she had eaten with on her right side opposite where Jack sat and then leaned against the large wooden mast, crossing her long slender legs and sighing in content. As she had been crossing her legs, she had immediately attracted Jack's attention to her limbs and she now felt his burning gaze lingering over her. She turned her head towards him. "See something you like?" she asked, but she hadn't said it sarcastically. On the contrary, there was a hint of teasing in her tone.

Jack slowly turned his dark, murky eyes and rested the on her face. He grinned and replied, "Aye, _very_ much Miss Kraven."

Em couldn't hide the smile that stole across her lips. "You are such the corsair, Mr. Sparrow," she replied and then grinned. Em turned away from Jack and tilted her head up towards the top of the mast, looking particularly at the crow's nest with concern now in her eyes.

"Wassamatter?" Jack asked with a small slur in his voice. It appeared that the rum was finally taking its effect on him.

Em looked back down and turned her head towards the sea. "Nothing," she said softly.

Jack rolled his eyes and cupped her chin, forcing her to turn her face back to him. "Love, my incredibly intuitive sense of the female mind tells me that you are troubled with more than just 'Nothing'," he told her.

Em stared at him blankly, wondering how the hell he could say all that while being slightly drunk still. Unless I must have shocked him sober or something, she thought. But why would Jack care?

_Because he_ does _care about you_, said a little innocent-sounding voice inside her head.

Em abruptly stood up and began to walk away from Jack. "I told you it's nothing Jack, so it isn't!" she told him stubbornly.

Jack quickly set down the empty rum bottle and then wobbled up onto his feet and started towards her thinking, Bugger, first it be stubborn William Turner with him not listenin' to me, and now stubborn Emelia Kraven who doesnt wanna open up to me. What next? He caught up to her and planted himself firmly in front of her path to the bow of the ship. For a moment, his dark rimmed eyes slid up to the crow's nest where he spotted an old familiar seadog up there as the look out and then he realized Em's concern. Jack placed his hands on Em's shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. "Does 'nothing' happen to be an old, frail seadog by the likes of Mr. Drummond?" he asked, but the stony look on Em's face told him all he needed to know.

"He is not frail!" Em came to her lookout's defense.

Jack hurriedly removed his hands from her shoulders and held them. "Alrigh', alrigh'! It was just a question, love!" he replied. "No need to snap!"

Em knew her temper had gotten the best of her again and sighed deeply. She shook her head and apologized to Jack. "I just worry about him sometimes," she slowly confessed. Feeling a foreboding chill go down her spin, Em wrapped her arms around herself and began to slowly walk a little ways away from Jack. She turned back to him again and added, "He's the only one left besides Michael and I who carries the memory of my brother Tobias."

Jack leaned back onto the railing, propped up with his elbows, and watched her with his dark, curious eyes. "A pirate," he stated simply.

Em nodded and walked towards him, taking a place right next to him and leaned forward onto the railing so that she looked down upon the dark, still waters below. They had decided that the Black Pearl would anchor at night so that none but at least one member of the crew as the lookout would be kept awake at night to guard the ship.

"Tobias Kraven," Jack said out loud as if to give him some time to think. "Though I remember him known as Tobias the Terror in his active pirating years," he commented gruffly. When Em did not reply, Jack tilted his eyes towards her and saw that his companion was lost in thought so he continued, "He was honored with the title by Cutler Beckett hisself because he and his bonny crew terrorized the Company's trading vessels and ransacked their goods each time. He met his death on one (and his last) raid of a vessel that had been said to be carrying gold from New Granada. There had been neither gold nor vessel. He and his crew had been ambushed and slain."

Em slowly nodded in affirmative at these facts even as the knuckles of her hands turned white from having clutched the wooden railing at Jack's mention of Cutler Beckett, the man whose solely responsible for her no longer having her brother, the last of her family. It felt like a dead man's chest that she had buried long ago to forget these facts had been opened up by Jack's unknowing hand right in front of her eyes. "I never knew he was a pirate until a few months before he died," she told Jack. "He used to tell me that he was a merchant sailor and wouldn't say anything more." Em sighed deeply. "Another good pirate that had to die in a less than noble death," she muttered bitterly, thinking about what she had heard before about "Bootstrap" Bill's plummet to Davy Jones' locker.

Jack seemed to have the same thought in mind and said mournfully, "If I had another bottle o' rum, I'd drink to them right now."

Em nodded again. "Aye," she whispered with a heavy heart. She would not cry. Not in front of Jack or anyone else, that is. These tears that she had kept for Tobias that she had never shed for him before would still be locked away in the deepest confines of her heart. Shaking her head, Em pushed herself off of the rail and faced Jack. "Where will I be laying my head?" she asked him.

Jack's eyes widened in sudden realization. He raised his finger awkwardly. "Yes, well the thing abou' that is-" he started but Em apparently wasn't listening and was now making her way back to his quarters. Jack hurried behind in her wake. "Emelia!"

Em threw open the doors and strode in, quickly scanning the room better than she had this morning. She found that hanging by two hooks attached to the ceiling on the right side was a single narrow hammock made of an old, large canvas and nothing else that could provide any place to sleep. She turned on her heel and accidentally collided with Jack. She teetered back on the brink of falling, but Jack's strong arms swiftly wrapped around Em's waist and saved her. Em rested her hands on Jack's shoulders for a moment as she steadied herself back on her feet and when she looked up at his face, she saw a playful smirk looking down at her.

"You should watch where yer goin' darling," Jack told her with a chuckle. "Next time I might not be there to prevent you from falling and then where will ye be?"

Mentally blaming him for the reason why she almost fell, Em brusquely pushed him away and asked again where she would stay.

Jack's smirk slipped away and a nervous look replaced the happy face he had a moment ago. "Well what I was tryin' to tell you on the deck before you barged into me room was that I have no other place for one such as yerself to sleep," he told her and motioned with his hands to his hammock. He saw the look of disbelief on her face and added slyly, "O' course we could _share_ my hammock. I certainly wouldn't mind it at all!" Then he grinned widely so that some of his gold teeth showed.

Em's jaw dropped in anger. "Bastard!" she cried and she slapped him hard across the face, sending Jack's whole upper half of his body reeling back.

"Alrigh', I deserved tha' one," he said as he slowly righted himself. His face was met by another hard slap by Em's palm and he was sent reeling back again. "Alrigh'! We don't have to share me bloody hammock! Stop hitting me already!" Jack shouted as he rubbed his sore cheek. His eyes slid over cautiously to Em before he warily righted himself again, hoping she was done. His eyes widened slightly as he heard a small growl coming from the back of her throat. Oh bugger, he thought in panic. He lifted his hands up in the air as a form of surrender.

He decided negotiation was the best way to settle this-and to not get hit again. "How's about I sleep in me hammock, and you sleep . . ." Jack thought about it for a moment. Getting an idea, he quickly walked over around Em and his desk and stopped right next to his arm chair. He gestured at it, saying, "And you sleep on my very comfortable chair!" Jack gave her an apprehensive smile.

Em glared across the large writing table at Jack. She was still very offended with his first suggestion. "I won't sleep on your chair less than I would even sleep in the same room as you Jack Sparrow!" she shouted. In a moment completely controlled by her harsh emotions, Em spun on her heel and stomped out of the room.

Jack flinched as the doors slammed shut behind her and let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. Em was still as fierce as he remembered. Jack shook his head. "How do I get meself into these blood messes?" he grumbled and slowly sank into his chair. His eyes flickered over to his hammock that was now swaying from the after-effects of the doors slamming and mouthed an "oh, tha's why."

* * *

Em slammed the double doors behind her with much force and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "Perverted bastard," she grumbled and began to slowly walk away.

"'Ey, who be down there makin' all that racket?" warily shouted Mr. Drummond's gruff voice from high up in the crow's nest.

Em stopped at the bottom of the net that led up to the main mast and craned her head back so that she could look into the bleary yellow eyes of her oldest crew member. "It's only me, Mr. Drummond," she shouted up at him and noticed how weary her voice must have seemed.

Mr. Drummond's head seemed to pop up from the top of the crow's nest as he peered down at her with his sea-weary eyes. "Aye, so it is milady," he replied and bobbed his head in a nod. He watched as Em began to climb the net with the swiftness of her youth until he was reaching down with his worn out hands and helping her into the nest with a strength that would surprise anyone for a man of his age.

"What ye be 'ere fer, Emelia?" Mr. Drummond inquired politely as he observed his captain straighten her clothes. "Shouldn't ye be resting now?"

Em sniffed, though it was more like from indignation, the old man noted. "I would be resting my head right now if it not for that bloody Jack Sparrow!" she snapped, practically shooting venom tinted arrows with her words. Em turned her head to the confused old man and shook her head. "Don't ask," she muttered and in a brisker tone, told Mr. Drummond that he would be sleeping this night and the rest with the crew down below. "I'll be taking the night watches for now on, so go take a good rest because the real adventure's waiting for us in Florida," she ended.

Mr. Drummond looked uncertain and even concerned. "Ye sure, milady? It'll be awfully cold high up 'ere, and I don't think ye'd be able to stand it," he warned her cautiously, mindful of her infamous temper; though, she had never unleashed it on him before.

Em shook her head and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry for me up here, Mr. Drummond. I want you alive when we get to the Fountain of Youth. Then I don't have to worry about _you_ dying of the cold," she teased gently, though they both knew she did mean her words.

Mr. Drummond reluctantly agreed. Then he did something that both surprised and touched Em to the bottom of her heart. He suddenly grabbed her arms with his strong hands and brought her into a warm embrace as a father would to his beloved daughter. He even voiced what Em had been thinking, "Yer the only daughter I've ever had Emelia Kraven," his cracking voice told her with a sob. "Bless me lucky stars the day when ye came into this harsh world and into me own two hands."

Em willed herself not to break as this usual strong man was doing right now. If someone had to be strong for the both of them, it was Em at this moment. However, she returned old Mr. Drummond's fatherly love and hugged him back. "It is my gratitude that you brought me into this world, Mr. Drummond," she told him. "I am forever in your debt."

With a giant sniff, Mr. Drummond abruptly released her and wiped away his tears with his sleeve. He nodded and saluted to his captain. "Yer debt's been repaid the day ye took me with ye out o' our home in Barbados as yer crewmember," he told her with what was left of his dignity, though his yellow eyes were slightly red around the edges and he had a slight runny nose.

When he had gone, leaving Em all alone inside the crow's nest, she lay down on her back with her knees propped up and stared up at the star-filled night sky. She held up her left hand and noticed how red the palm was from when she had slapped Jack two times. Em winced slightly. She hadn't realized how hard she had hit him and briefly felt guilty, but secretly delighted in the hope that he would have a nasty mark in the morning.

She was still mad at him, though not at much as she had before she came up to the crow's nest. Em couldn't help blaming Jack as the reason she was slowly freezing while he slept snug as a warm bug in his hammock. Then again, it was partly her fault for losing her temper and acting out because of it by deciding to sleep out here. She would rather sleep in Jack's chair than here. Em bit her bottom lip and let her hand fall onto her stomach. Though she would love to not freeze out here, Em highly doubted that with someone, no, a _man_ like Jack Sparrow in the same room that she stayed in, she would never get any sleep.

"Damn that yellow-bellied cur," Em mumbled as she turned to her side that faced the mast with her right arm under her head as a pillow and her left arm wrapped tightly around her own torso and curled around it as best as she could to be comfortable. Still, with the hardwood floor that the crow's nest was made of and the cramped position she was in, it still was very uncomfortable. Em shivered involuntarily and wished she had at least brought a bottle of rum to help her warm herself up. Finally after what seemed like forever, Em felt her eyelids close and she fell into restless sleep.


	21. Talking to Tim and the Little Spy

The warmth of the early morning rays of the sun slowly woke Em, chasing away the cold on her face from the night before. For some reason, the rest of her body felt already warm, very warm. The sun had not even broken from the light blue horizon when Em opened her eyes and stared up at the fading dark blue of the sky. Em groaned, closed her eyes again, and stretched her stiff neck muscles. She hadn't had the best of sleep last night.

"Glad to know ye didn't freeze up 'ere milady," Mr. Drummond's voice drifted up to her from somewhere below.

Em unwillingly opened her dark brown eyes again and slowly uncurled herself from the fetal position she had slept in, stretching out her taut limbs. That's when she noticed that something had been thrown over her body. Em sat up and a black trench coat slid off her upper body. The coat had been the source that had kept her body warm. With a hand, Em brought the coat closer to her sleep-bleary eyes.

There was a soft thump next to her and Em turned her gaze away from the mysterious coat and looked up at Mr. Drummond's sea-worn face smiling affectionately down at her. Looking into his yellowed eyes, Em knew immediately that it hadn't been her old lookout that had given her this coat. He didn't even wear one. The only recognizable person she knew who wore a trench coat as this was Jack Sparrow. Em's eyes widened in realization as a thought hit her. Jack had given her his own coat to keep her warm!

Mr. Drummond craned his neck forward so that he could get a better look at his captain. "Emelia?" he asked curiously, seeing her eyes widen to the size of tea saucers so suddenly.

Em shook her head and used the mast to help her up with Jack's coat still held firmly in her hand. "It's nothing Mr. Drummond," she told him dismissively. She slipped on Jack's coat over her shoulders, surreptitiously inhaling deeply the male scent that clung to the fabric. The coat was fairly large for her slender figure. It hung loose around her shoulders and the hem of the coat reached less than half a foot to her ankles. As she ran her other hand through her unruly long hair, she turned to Mr. Drummond and asked who else was up at this hour.

"On'y Mr. Gibbs, milady," the old man told her in his rusty voice. "'E was mutterin' 'bout bad luck when I left 'im to check up on ye."

Em nodded and turned around. "I think I'll walk around the deck a little," she told him and slowly began her descent down the rope net. She jumped down the last couple of feet and felt a satisfying pop in her left knee as she landed on top of the deck. For a moment, Em haled in deeply the fresh morning air that only the sea could provide and felt a little more awake now as the soft wind whipped her long hair about. Holding Jack's coat tighter to her body for warmth, she walked towards the bow where the angel figurehead greeted her eyes when she got there.

"Hello Angel," Em mumbled as she braced herself against the edge of the left side. Em looked down and immediately a smile broke across her sleepy face as a high pitched squeak greeted her from down below in the water. One of the dolphins was down there, the same one of the five that she had seen yesterday with Mr. Gibbs.

Is that you Tobias? she silently asked the dolphin, also thinking about what Gibbs had told her yesterday about these playful creatures. As if he (or she, though Em highly doubted it) had read her thoughts, the dolphin dove back into the still water. Em bent over curiously, wondering where he would have gone. Her question's answer was for the same dolphin to suddenly jump in the air from the water and blow water into her face by its blowhole before diving back into the water.

Em stood there with cold seawater dripping down her wet face and hair for a long moment before she slowly raised her hand and wiped her face dry with the worn sleeve of Jack's coat. Em looked down at the dolphin and told him, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you _are _Tobias."

The dolphin's response was to jump up so it looked like it stood on its tail and clap its front flippers at Em while barking.

Em wrinkled her nose at the sea animal. "Thought so," she muttered, though inwardly she felt a stir of happiness inside of her. Em's ears picked up a set of heavy footsteps approaching her and turned her back on the dolphin. She met a pair of charcoal-rimmed eyes that belonged to none other than Jack Sparrow.

With the absence of his trench coat, Jack only wore his long boots, fading trousers with the usual items strapped to his belt, and an also fading blue vest that he must have obviously stolen from a merchant of the fleet over his long-sleeved cotton shirt. As was expected of him, Jack also wore his beloved black tricorn hat snuggly over his wild shoulder-length hair and red bandana.

For a long moment, Em simply couldn't keep her eyes off of him. He was that dashing, that _roguishly handsome_, in her eyes. Another gust of wind, this time a little stronger, blew past her coming directly from the bow. The first few buttons of Jack's shirt were open to reveal the top of his muscular chest, and as the wind blew, Em could now plainly see how the little pendant hanging off the necklace she had given him two years before shined bright in the rise of the morning sun against Jack's very tan skin. It felt as if a hand gripped at her heart then. Jack's gruff voice brought her back to the present.

"What are you doing with me coat?" Jack asked in bewilderment and gestured with his right hand always tied with a black cloth to his clothing article hanging loosely around her.

It was Em's turn to give Jack a confused look of her own. "Didn't you give this to me?" she asked.

A look on Jack's face that appeared identical to the one he had every time he got slapped appeared on his face. Jack cleared his throat loudly and replied, "I don't believe so because I specifically remember giving it to your dear Mr. Drummond up in the crow's nest before the rum sent me straight to sleep." Jack shrugged casually. "He must've given it to you then," he concluded.

If it had been anyone but Jack that had told her that, Em would have almost believed that person. Yet, some of the timing was wrong. Jack had said "up in the crow's nest," but if he had, then Em would have seen him last night because she never left the main deck when she had stormed out of his office. Em opened her mouth to accuse Jack of his falsehood but as she stared into his eyes, she saw a familiar twinkle in their mesmerizing depths and knew what he already knew but didn't want to say: That Jack had given the cloak to Em because he really cared enough to not want her to freeze last night.

Jack saw her hesitation and inwardly sighed in relief that he didn't have to explain himself. Em already had it figured out. He held out his hand. "Me coat?"

Em wordlessly shrugged off Jack's trench coat and handed it to him. She couldn't help watching his fluid movements as he tucked one strong arm into the sleeve and then the other, shrugging on the rest of his coat. The gold soaring bird that was the tiny pendant hanging off of the necklace around his neck was hidden underneath the extra layer of clothing. She held back the temptation of helping him straighten his coat out for him on his hard, lean body.

Jack tilted his hat down a bit so that his eyes were shaded against the rising rays of the sun and turned his attention back to Emelia. He smirked seeing that she was staring at him with passion in her eyes, though seemingly lost in thought as well. Emelia looked so lovely in his eyes at the moment with the wind blowing about her long hair and tugging at her clothes that left nothing for his wild imagination. He began to tiptoe up to her quietly.

Em suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her waist and gasped in surprise. She snapped her head up and immediately came eye to eye with Jack Sparrow. "What are you doing?" she demanded once her initial shock wore off. She felt Jack pull her closer to his body and out of instinct placed her hands on his chest. Em glared up at him warningly.

Jack grinned down at her, and Em swore that the familiar twinkle in his eye grew brighter. "I'm not doing anythin' love," he said cheerfully. "Can't a man cherish in the company of a lovely woman such as yerself?" he asked.

Em gave him a dirty look that bordered on offense on her part. "Not if said man expects something in the return of the time he spent in said _lovely _woman's company!" she snapped.

"And what would that somethin' be, Miss Kraven?" Jack asked seriously.

Em's glare intensified a few deadly notches. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" she retorted.

Jack threw his head back and laughed. He felt Em attempt to break away from his hold and held onto her tighter, simultaneously closing what was left of space they had between them. He lowered his head so close to the side of her head that his lips teasingly brushed her ear as he spoke softly into it, "That something in return would be just to be in your company, Emelia."

Feeling his hot breath on her ear sent shivers down Em's spine and the longing in his words made Em's heart skip a beat or two. At the same time, he had put out her temper with his answer. Em closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Jack's neck. "Jack, please don't say that," she murmured. She felt his left thumb caress a small portion of her smooth stomach underneath the layers of the corset and silk shirt she wore and bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning.

"I know what you mean, darling," Jack surprisingly replied and disentangled himself from Em. When Em opened her eyes, it was to be suddenly led towards Jack's quarters by the pirate himself. "What are you doing?" she asked for the second time that morning.

Jack grinned down at her from her left side. His right arm was wrapped around her waist. "Thought we'd go somewhere more private so as not to be disturbed," he told her candidly.

Em rolled her eyes thinking, Leave it to Jack to turn a perfectly romantic thing into something for physical pleasure. As they entered through the doors, Em removed Jack's arm and strode towards his writing desk. When she unceremoniously sat on Jack's chair, she looked up and saw an annoyed look on Jack's face.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked her with a small jerk of his head.

Em smirked. She crossed her arms around her chest and sat back. "I think it be best that we start planning the rest of the route since we are here already," she told him smartly.

Jack crinkled his nose with rising annoyance. "Alrigh' then," he said sullenly and crossed the room. When he reached the side where Em sat, he gave her a hard stare.

Em rolled her eyes and stood up. It was her turn for an annoyed look to appear on her face as Jack made hand motions for her to move. "Satisfied?" she asked sarcastically when she did. She watched as Jack grinned and sat on his chair like a triumphant king would sit on his coronation throne with his leg propped over his knee. Em rolled her eyes and gingerly sat down at the edge of the hard, wooden armrest. _For joy, another few hours of torture for my buttocks_, she thought as she leaned over the map in front of them.

Later that night after supper was finished and Em had managed to convince Mr. Drummond that it was alright that she take the night watch for now on, the female pirate lay in the same cramped position she had been in last night laying on her back staring up at the star-filled cold night sky with her leg in a weird and uncomfortable position. Em knew that it was going to be a bit harder getting to sleep this night and sighed softly to herself. She had hoped she wouldn't have to come down to this, but some desperate, _sleepless_ times called for some desperate measures.

Slowly getting to her feet, less she fall out of the crow's nest, Em brushed herself off before beginning to climb down the main mast. She went down the winding wooden stairs that led below deck. For a moment, she stopped on the second deck where the crew was sleeping all over the whole floor. In narrow, lumpy cots or in cloth hammocks identical to the one Jack slept in suspended by hooks nailed to the ceiling above, every man slept. Em's dark brown eyes rested briefly on the sleeping figure of Mr. Drummond, who was actually sharing a rather large cot with Michael, and she smiled fondly at the both of them before she continued observing the rest of the men. Well as Em took the time to scan the room, she found not necessarily every man was sleeping.

Tim seemed to be missing. One lone hammock that hung off to the left side of the quarters directly above Ozz was swinging emptily. Em quietly traversed the room until she stood next to Ozz's cot and the hammock, staring warily at the latter. She raised her left hand to stop its lazy movement before pivoting back around and ambled towards the stairs with a slightly quickly step.

Down the stairs she walked until she stood on the next floor. The galley to her left, Em walked to the right where the rum cellar was located. No longer feeling tense when she had seen Tim's empty hammock, and even feeling quite happy seeing the rack filled still full with rum bottles, Em plucked out the nearest bottle and sloshed the alcohol inside a bit to hear the comforting swishing sound it made.

* * *

Three floors above Em in his spacey Captain's Quarters where he slept as comfortably as his hammock would allow him, the corner of Jack Sparrow's right eye twitched ever so slightly before he was suddenly jolted out of his sleep as if ice-cold water had been thrown on him.

"RUM!!" Jack cried as his jerky movements sent his hammock flipping him over where he then landed face down on the floor with a terrible crash.

* * *

Having not heard the commotion, Em heartily thanked whoever it was who invented rum before she clutched the bottle close to her chest and started for the stairs.

The wind had drastically picked up as Em emerged from the hatch leading below deck and blew through her, tossing her long hair about. Em pulled the scarlet satin trench coat she wore over her usual clothes closer to her body. At the edges of the collar were otter fur sowed on. The coat reached a few inches past her buttocks. Em had taken it from a wealthy merchant who had been at the time working for the Company and had not regretted robbing the man it in the least; not even when she had ordered the torching of his fine ship. Another gust of wind blew and Em shivered, though careful not to drop the bottle of rum she still clutched firmly in her left hand.

"Bloody wind," she murmured. Out of the corner of her left eye, Em saw a shadow of movement near to the bow of the Pearl and spun around. "Who's there?" she demanded and even took her pistol from its place in her belt for good measure. She saw a figure step out into her line of fire from behind the foremast and tensed up, but she soon relaxed once she saw Tim McIlrath come into the light of the half-full moon which hung drowsily up in the sky like a half-closed eye.

"Em?" Tim asked and stepped closer to where he had supposedly heard her voice last. His dark green eyes widened when he first saw the pistol aimed at him before he saw the dark beauty that was his captain. When his eyes did gaze on the rest of Em, Tim couldn't help but become almost entranced at the image the light of the moon was revealing to him.

In Tim's eyes, Em looked like a fierce siren like those in sailors' tales that were said to lure sailors into their depths by their lovely, mesmerizing voices. Em seemed to fit that description, with the exception of her eyes. Her eyes were her lovely, mesmerizing voice. Tim licked his lips and then swallowed hard as sharp lust rose up from the pit of his stomach.

He was yanked back into reality by sounds of footsteps coming closer to him. As he was shaking his head to clear it from the erotic images he had been seeing in his mind, Em passed him without so much as a side-glance in his direction as she walked towards the bow where he had been a few moments before. He had noticed when he did steal a glance to her as she passed him that her pistol was stowed back in her belt and sighed with relief. He didn't like being at ends with Em - not one bit. He had missed seeing her today and yesterday but knew she had been in the company of one Captain Jack Sparrow in his own quarters calculating and chartering the route they were taking to Florida together. It made Tim's blood boil just thinking about Sparrow having Em all to himself for hours on end while he, Tim, was nowhere to even seeing her during the daytime.

However, all that didn't apply to right now. Tim turned around to face the front of the Black Pearl and saw that Em was perched on the railing on the right side of the bow, looking out into the black, calm mass of water surrounding the whole boat. Michael and Gibbs had both agreed and had ordered the men to anchor the ship to give everyone a rest.

The tall blonde heard the familiar sound of a cork being popped off of a bottle and focused his attention on Em's lonely figure again. The wind coming from the direction she looked at blew her long, tangled hair back and whipped around her like black fire. Now feeling longing along with lust rise inside of him, Tim quietly walked up to Em and stood next to her with her back facing him, careful to avoid being whipped by her hair. She held an open bottle of rum in her hands. "It's a beautiful night," he said.

Em started from surprise, nearly choking on her own saliva at the nearness of Tim's soft, warm voice. She looked back over her shoulder at him with a slight glare in her eyes, irked that he had snuck up on her. "Yes, it is," she replied curtly then took another drink from the bottle.

Tim blinked. Already he had made her mad at him. _Nice going genius_, a snide voice inside his head told him. Tim blinked again and mumbled, "Sorry."

Em lowered the bottle and turned around in her spot on the railing so that she faced him. She saw that he really was sincere and felt a little guilty for snapping at him like that. He still shouldn't have done it though, Em thought peevishly but rolled her eyes. She scooted over a bit and patted a spot on the railing next to her. "Come and sit with me. I can't finish this whole bottle by myself," she invited him.

For a moment, Tim was totally thunder-struck by this simple request-no, _invitation_. That's what it was. She, Emelia Kraven, was inviting him to sit with her and share her bottle of rum. Knowing that she could change her mind at any given moment, Tim quickly sat down, hoping he didn't seem like an overeager teenager. He felt his heart close to bursting as he accepted the bottle Em held out to him, and as his fingers brushed her own, he felt them tingle right to their very tips.

Em felt quite laid-back and very warm right now thanks to the fast working effects of the rum, courtesy of Tom and his wife Juliet who made their rum themselves. She smiled contentedly up at Tim which he returned quite brilliantly. It was Tim's turn to thank the creator of rum. Another gust of wind blew through them and despite wearing her scarlet trench coat and drinking rum, Em shivered from the cold. She was then surprised when Tim, who had been observing her closely and had seen her shiver, put his strong arm around her and pulled her close to his body.

"What are you doing?" Em half asked, half demanded. It seemed as if she was saying that a lot to people these days, most specifically to Jack. Remembering the rogue pirate and whose arm was around hers now, Em tried to move away, but Tim wouldn't let her. He responded by tightening his arm around her as he looked down at her with a smile playing around her lips.

"I just thought you'd want to be warm," he replied a little cheekily.

Em huffed. "Well I don't need your help."

Tim just continued to smile which annoyed Em even further. Yet amazingly, she hadn't lost her temper on him yet. It may have been the work of the rum which she was now drinking down greedily at the moment. "Why aren't you sleeping like the others?" she asked him when she had lowered the bottle from her wet lips.

Tim took the bottle from her and took a swig too. "Why aren't _you_ sleeping?" he countered.

Em's left eye twitched. "Just answer my question!"

Tim chuckled and drew her closer to his body. He met no resistance, surprisingly, and felt very pleased. Maybe she was finally starting to warm up to him after all. "I couldn't sleep," he said simply. He added just to see her smile, "And some of the snoring in there is plain _horrible_." His plan worked and she graced him with a soft smile.

"I know. I heard it all when I checked on you all before getting Jack's rum," she told him.

Tim's eyebrows rose skeptically. "Jack's rum?" he questioned. "And here I was actually thinking that_ you_ were the one who ordered and _bought_ the rum with _your_ own money," he added sarcastically.

Em laughed, and it was like music to Tim's ears. _Siren_, he thought as he looked deep into her dark brown eyes. Em nodded. "I did buy the rum, but Jack loves to keep a tight hold on any rum on his ship," she explained.

A sound equaling to a rude snort erupted from Tim. "He keeps a tight hold on his rum, yet he doesn't try to keep a tight hold on you." Tim immediately regretted the words even as he said them.

Em's eyes widened and blazed with fury as jumped up back onto the deck and clenched her fists tightly on either side of her. She pointed at him. "You don't know what you are talking about!" she shouted angrily at him. "You don't know why he had to let go of me!"

Tim also stood up and faced her. The empty bottle of rum rolled away from them and stopped at the base of the foremast. "Yeah, but you don't know what you are doing!" he shot back.

Em was taken aback. "What in bloody hell do you mean?" she demanded. She caught herself, for her left hand was slowly inching towards her pistol; she had left her cutlass up in the crow's nest along with her duffel bag that she had retrieved from Jack's quarters. Em took a deep breath to calm herself lest she do something brash.

While her moment of pause, Tim replied, "Sparrow-"

"Jack!" Em corrected him. "Or rather _Captain_ Sparrow," she added.

Tim's green eyes narrowed. "_Captain Sparrow_," he started with disgust dripping off the words, "can't be trusted, Emelia."

Despite her attempts to leash her temper, Em could feel it wanting to tear out of her chest. "Don't. Call. Me. Emelia!" she growled through tightly clenched teeth. "And I can trust Jack more than I can trust you!" she added harshly. Em turned sharply on her heel and started walking towards the main mast.

Tim flinched, but quickly ran after her. He caught her arm and stopped her just as she was about to climb the net leading up the large mast. He repeated what he said earlier, "You don't what you are doing!"

Eerily, a sudden calm descended upon Em with Tim's accusation as she stepped back down onto the deck and faced him. Staring coolly up at him, she replied quietly, "I know exactly what I'm doing." Underneath the serenity of her words, Tim could clearly hear the warning in them as well.

"I know you do," Tim said slowly, carefully weighing his words. He didn't trust this calm demeanor his captain was putting up. However, he still kept a firm hold on her arm. "But it's what Sparrow's doing, or _planning_ on doing that I'm concerned about."

Em tilted her head to the side with an unreadable expression on her face. "Why must you hate him so, Tim?" she asked softly.

Tim let go of her and took a hasty step back, as if he had been holding a snake instead of her limb. "You know why," he quickly replied.

Em nodded slowly. "Yes, I do," she said mostly to herself. Then so suddenly that Em audibly gasped, Tim's hands grabbed her shoulders gently but quite firmly and pulled her closer to his body. Out of instinct, Em placed her hands on his wide, muscular chest. She looked up into his dark green eyes. "Release me," she demanded, though it sounded more like a request.

Tim shook his head and held onto her shoulders tighter. "Promise me that you will watch yourself when you are around Jack," he demanded; pleaded.

_I would rather watch myself when I'm around you_, Em's subconscious voice replied, but out loud she said, "Alright." She had half expected Tim to immediately release her as she had demanded, but the other half that knew that he wouldn't still didn't make the surprise she felt any smaller when Tim's warm, dry lips pressed on hers. She felt him try to pry her lips open but kept them firmly pressed together so Tim had to finally release her, arms and all.

"Get some sleep," she told him stiffly.

Tim nodded without having a smile Em had expected him to have on his face and began to walk towards the hatch leading to the lower decks. Em waited until the last sounds of his fading footsteps echoed and faded into the cold night air before she started her ascent to the crow's nest.

Em was too high up to ever hear the smart snap of the two doors leading to Jack's quarters close behind the rugged captain. Neither Em nor Tim had noticed that they had had hidden company during the time they had been up at the bow drinking rum and sea gazing. They did not know that Jack had seen everything that had happened up from the time he had seen Tim walk aimlessly around the main deck before he settled at the bow to the kiss Tim had pressed upon Em.

What Captain Jack Sparrow disliked the most about the whole thing besides the two facts that one, Em had taken a bottle of _his _rum without his permission, and two, Tim and Em had spent time together in which Em did no such bodily harm to him in that space of time, was the fact that Em had done practically nothing to suggest that she had been disgusted with the Kiss.

As he quietly settled back into his hammock, Jack cursed silently against Timmothy McIlrath. Jack hated him even more. He had heard the younger man's warnings to Em very plainly, for they had been arguing quite loudly, and knew that he had to take Tia Dalma's warning that she had given him more seriously.

_Beware of de man who has de eyes of envy . . . _

He had nightmares of dark green eyes that took Emelia away from him that night as he alone watched helplessly on the empty-crewed Pearl.


	22. Dueling Under the Moonlight

The Black Pearl passed two days of quiet calm in the sea as it came closer each day towards its destination. However while the ship sailed smoothly with next to perfect weather conditions, a small select few of her crew members were treading on dangerous waters.

For the last two days since that night when Tim had kissed Em and Jack had secretly seen the whole thing, the real captain of the Pearl stayed and acted a bit more distant than he should have to a woman such as Emelia Kraven, _any _woman in that matter. Everyone noticed it in varying degrees, but everyone just thought Em might have finally gotten the best out of ol' Captain Jack Sparrow for once. Only one person guessed and knew the truth. And he was quite happy about it.

Since that night, Tim's fervent belief that he can win Em from Jack Sparrow has grown immensely. During those two days that have past, Tim always had a warm, loving smile to give to Em whenever he saw her. The two of them, to everyone but Jack's surprise, had actually become a bit chummy. Tim knew that every time he smiled at Em, or ever time the captain of the Pearl happened to see them conversing on one thing or another, Tim knew with satisfaction that Jack was jealous even with the aloof front he showed most of the time when these things happened.

Yet even Jack's uncaring demeanor can break like a stone wall can when a cannon ball is fired at it. A few times when Jack happened to catch Em's skipper smiling at his captain, Jack would quickly come up with a chore that Tim needed to do.

"No dawdling around like a lazy dog, McIlrath!" Jack would thunder when he had pestered the younger man into doing the chore. Whenever this happened, it would attract Em's attention if she hadn't been paying it already. Yet to Jack's relief that was what gave him a small proof that she didn't completely fancy Tim (if she did at all), she turned a blind eye to the fact that Jack had ordered someone of her crew.

However on the second day since that night, Jack's jealousy grew so much that he couldn't contain it any longer.

It was near late-afternoon, and the day had just been equally peaceful and dull as yesterday. Jack at the time was up in the poop deck navigating his great ship, but at the same time he could clearly see all that happened on the main deck. The quiet mix of sounds coming from both the sea and those who were laboring over their chores below that Jack had always been accustomed to, were suddenly drowned out by laughter.

Emelia Kraven and Timmothy McIlrath held everyone's attention as they emerged from the hatch leading below deck. Once the men on deck had their curiosity quenched, all but one went back to their work.

Jack first noticed, with rising irritation, a nearly empty bottle of rum in Tim's right hand and knew by this less-than-sober display of rowdiness that they had been down to the rum cellar drinking _his _rum, and also that the two were on their way to being drunk. What Jack also noticed was the intimacy they were displaying for everyone to see and observe. Jack watched openly as 

Tim began to recite a bawdy joke he had learned somewhere to his lively captain and received a large smile from her and a few hearty chuckles by those within earshot who had overhead.

Jack quickly turned to Cotton who stood not far from him with his parrot on his right shoulder. "Mr. Cotton! Take the wheel, if you may," he ordered, and without another word, Jack all but dashed towards the stairs. This is the final straw! Jack thought as he flew down the stairs two at a time. As he approached Tim and Em, he pointed a finger at the former and shouted, "Mr. McIlrath, I want you at the helm of the ship this instant to assist Mr. Cotton with the wheel!"

The laughter quickly died down and left Tim staring for a moment stupidly (most likely the effects of the rum) at Jack before anger quickly consumed his face and he spun around at Em like he had done many times before for her consent to this. At that moment that had never happened before, an almost guilty and embarrassed look had settled on Em so when Tim rounded on her, she wouldn't even look into his eyes as she nodded and told him to do as Jack bid. Tim looked from Em to Jack and back to Em again before he spun on his heel and began to storm away in the direction of the poop deck, swearing under his breath.

Jack's eyes suddenly widened. "Hold!" he cried, as if he had just remembered something very important.

Tim stopped at the foot of the steps and slowly turned around to face Jack with a sneer. "What is it?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

Jack glared at him. "Ye have sumthin' of _mine_, McIlrath," Jack told him, though his tone was quite pleasant. Jack held out his hand towards Tim's hand that still held the half finished bottle of rum. "Me rum!"

Tim looked at Jack in disgust and thrust out the bottle towards him, yet not moving an inch from where he stood. "Here, take your damn drink!" he snarled.

Jack's glare intensified and a challenging kind of smirk appeared on his face. "Hand it over, son," he told Tim.

Tim caught on to the challenge and didn't budge. "How's about _you_ come over here?" he snapped.

Em watched them banter on for a whole minute before rolling her eyes. _Men_, she thought in disgust. She turned to Tim. "Timmothy McIlrath, stop shirking your duties and give Jack his rum this instant!" she snapped irritably.

Jack watched with satisfaction as Tim's pale face flushed a deep red full of anger, and even more so grew satisfied as Tim unwillingly dragged his feet up to him and all but threw the bottle at Jack before storming off.

"And tha's CAPTAIN to you, ye mangy cat landlubber!" Jack shouted after his retreating form. He grinned and took a long drink from the bottle before turning to Em. Seeing the troubled look on her face, he walked up to her and asked what the matter was.

Em looked up at Jack and seemed to scrutinize him for a moment before she quietly asked him, "Jack, why the hell did you have to act like that back there?"

Jack looked taken aback by her question. "Wha' d'you mean, love?" he asked stupidly.

Em glared at him. "Why did you have to order Tim away so suddenly like you have been doing for the last two days?" she asked in a louder tone. Suddenly many questions that she had been pondering for the last two days poured out. "Why have you been so distant to me, yet whenever you see Tim around me, you have to act all protecting for me?" she demanded.

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but thought better of it and closed his mouth again.

At that moment, Mr. Gibbs passed them on his way to the poop deck. Em and Jack plainly heard him muttering darkly under his breath, " . . .bad luck, says I; _Terrible_ bad luck to have a woman onboard. Rowdy-ing up the men . . ."

But neither Em nor Jack paid him no heed and turned their attention back towards each other. Jack seemed to have found the right answer to one of Em's earlier questions and replied airily, "I merely don't want any of the crew to dawdle like a lazy dog." However, he knew that wasn't his only answer; the others being that he was plain jealous of _any _time Em spent in the company of one such as Tim and that for the being distant part, deep down Jack was slightly hurt and feeling slightly betrayed that Em had let Tim kiss her that night and she did practically nothing about it.

Em, having known Jack for a while now, knew that he wasn't telling her everything and it greatly distressed her, for he had done the same when he had told her why he had left her two years ago. Em hated him not telling her everything. She was so confused right now thanks to both Jack and Tim. She didn't even want to be near him at that moment and walked towards the stairs leading up to the poop deck, leaving Jack to brood in his thoughts with his bottle of rum.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_, was what was running through Jack's mind at that moment. Right in front of him had been the opportune moment to tell Emelia how he felt, and he just screwed it up. Good going, captain.

Old mute Mr. Cotton and his parrot were no longer up in the poop deck and the same went for Mr. Gibbs. It was only Tim and Em up there when she stood next to him behind the large steering wheel.

Tim could practically feel her distress radiating off of her and turned his head towards her in immediate concern. "What happened between you and Sparrow?" he demanded, for he knew that the mentioned pirate was the cause of Em's behavior.

Em sadly shook her head, keeping her eyes glued to the setting sun at the front of the ship. "I honestly don't know," she told him. "I wanted to know why he had been so distant to me of late, but he completely avoided telling me."

Tim shook his head half angrily, half sadly. "Em, I keep telling you that you can't trust that Sparrow. He's out to get you," he warned her for the fiftieth time since he had first warned her two days ago.

Em gritted her teeth and glared daggers at the setting sun. It finally dawned on her just how much she was in the middle of Tim and Jack's feud; and the feud was over _her_. She guessed right to some degree that the sole reason why Jack had been so distant to her was that he was jealous of her sudden attention to Tim.

"I'm going to Jack's Captain's Quarters to record some things in our account book," she suddenly said, not wanting to be in either Jack or Tim's presence at the moment and desperately wanting to be alone right now. Without waiting for Tim's unneeded answer, Em quickly left.

When she had gone, Tim allowed his thoughts to roam to particularly two days ago on that one night when he had dared to kiss Em. He knew exactly why Jack Sparrow had been so distant to Em the last two days and why he was taking to being overprotective of her against Tim. Tim suspected correctly that Jack had seen what had happened that night. For one thing, Tim had heard Jack fall out of his hammock that night and suspected that the captain didn't take to his bed again immediately. For another thing, Tim had felt that they had been watched that night.

_No matter_, Tim thought dismissively as he quickly turned the wheel to the right. The Pearl lurched and tilted in that direction sharply, sending a few men on the main deck sprawling on the floor from the unanticipated motion.

"WATCH IT, MCILRATH!" Jack shouted up at him still standing where Em had left him.

Tim righted the ship and glowered down at the captain he so hated now with a passion. "My apologies, _captain_," he snarled.

_Only a matter of time before Em comes around to me_, he thought. _It shouldn't take that long if Sparrow keeps messing up with her, leaving_ me _to fix the damage. _

* * *

That night, it seemed to be the coldest that Em had ever been in while on the Pearl. Yet, she wasn't about to complain because that would mean a personal defeat against Jack, and Em was always a proud person even if her pride cost her a few drops of blood every once in a while. So that night, she braved the cold winds with a stiff upper lip up in the lonely crow's nest while wrapped tight in her own trench coat until sleep and her bottle of rum blessedly overtook her senses and she drifted off.

Inside Jack's quarters, the captain was bidding his time until he was certain that Em was asleep before getting up from his armchair and walking out of the room. He suppressed the urge to shiver as a rather large, icy cold gust of wind blew past him. He looked up at the crow's nest. Em was sound asleep, resting her back upon the mast. Gritting his teeth against the cold while also muttering darkly about how Em was too stubborn for her own good, Jack started towards the net leading up to the crow's nest and began to climb.

He quietly hoisted himself onto the crow's nest and slowly inched towards Em's sleeping figure. Her head was lying precariously on her left shoulder, and from time to time the wind blew her long dark hair around, about, and into her peaceful face. Jack kneeled down next to her and gazed at her for a moment, taking in how perfect the light of the full moon above hit her facial features and the shade of her dark hair, making her look almost ghostly and mystical.

Em's hair blew into her face again like what a curtain would do when wind blew in from the open window and Jack tenderly brushed the loose strands away from her face. He felt his tricorn hat close to being taken by the wind but paid no heed to it at the moment. As his fingers accidentally brushed Em's lips, she sighed softly and for a moment, Jack froze. But the moment passed and Em was thankfully still sound asleep. Jack took his hand back and in a moment had his trench coat off and was laying it gently over Em.

Jack stayed kneeled next to her for a moment more, resisting the incredible urge to kiss her, to take her into the warmth of his arms and that his body would willingly offer to her. "Yer too good for McIlrath," Jack murmured, shaking his head slowly. Jack quietly stood and began to descend back to the main deck. When his feet touched the deck, he walked away from the mast a few feet and then turned back to face it, his gaze high up at Em's sleeping figure. "Yer too good for me too," he added mournfully.

Then out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw a dark figure, and a split second after he heard one of the loose floorboards creak loudly at the approach of his adversary. Jack pivoted around at the same time he heard the hiss of a cutlass being drawn and drew his pistol. When he turned around, Jack was immediately confronted by a pair of dark green eyes boring into his own dark gaze and also confronted by the sharp point of Tim's blade pointing directly at Jack's heart.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jack told him in an almost bored tone.

Tim glared at him. "And why not?" he demanded through clenched teeth. His grip tightened on the hilt of his cutlass.

Jack shrugged carelessly and then replied, "Alrigh' then, yer funeral mate." He cocked the trigger of his pistol, drawing Tim's attention to the firearm pointed at his stomach. "Put the sword down, son," Jack told him sternly when he saw the color drain out of the younger man's face at the sight of Jack's effect. When Tim didn't make any move to take his cutlass away from Jack's chest, Jack raised his gun a little higher. "Do as I say, or I'll make sure to have yer weasley black guts all over me deck as me new coat of paint," Jack threatened.

Tim slowly locked eyes with Jack, his expression calculating. Then he seemed to have made up his mind. "Fine," he said in a monotone and unwillingly lowered his sword. Then he suddenly dropped to the ground and swept Jack's feet with his leg.

Jack fell onto his back in surprise, having not anticipated the maneuver. He crashed hard onto the deck and made the mistake of releasing his pistol in the process so that it skidded across the deck and rested at the base of the main mast. But not skipping a beat, Jack unsheathed his cutlass and raised it up horizontally, catching Tim's descending blade mere inches away from his head. Tim was back on his feet and was glaring daggers down at Jack. He pressed his other hand hard on the flat surface of his blade and thus began the battle of who was stronger as Jack and Tim pushed against their blades, trying to get the best of the other.

"Do you . . happen to be . . . Dutch?" Jack panted as he mustered up the strength to push the blades further away from his neck.

Tim's face had begun to turn red from the effort he was putting up to pushing the blades back to Jack, but managed to hastily reply, "On my . . mother's side."

A sly smirk appeared on Jack's face, and with some effort, he raised his legs and kicked out, connecting instantly with Tim's gut. Tim stumbled back with the wind knocked out of him, disconnecting the blades and giving Jack the opportunity to jump back onto his feet while shouting, "So tha' means yer only _half_ a traitor!" He jumped back as Tim swung at him and landed expertly onto the wide railing. Tim joined him a split second later and they were once again engaged in a sword fight under the moonlight.

"I am NOT a traitor!" Tim hollered and aimed high.

Jack ducked and managed to knick Tim on his lower leg, almost sending the younger man stumbling off the railing. Down below the churning dark waters waited for the fallen like a direct passage to Hell.

Tim began to advance on Jack, sending the rogue pirate back until there was no more railing left behind him. Tim raised his cutlass high and brought it down, but at the last moment, Jack jumped off the railing, landed on the deck, and ran for the stairs leading up to the poop deck with Tim in hot pursuit. Jack ran on the other side of the steering wheel and began to play cat and mouse with Tim even as their blades clashed again and again around and over the great wooden wheel. Finally Tim had enough and went after Jack who ran towards the balcony and front flipped out of the poop deck and onto the main deck. He pivoted around, looked up, and gave Tim a mock salute. A moment later, Jack's eyes widened and he was quickly moving out of the way as Tim vaulted over the balcony railing and landed in front of Jack with his sword at the ready again.

High up in the crow's nest, Em slowly stirred from distant sounds coming from down below. And then, a voice that sounded like Tim's suddenly shouted, "I am NOT a traitor!" startling Em out of her sleep. She sat up straight and felt an all-too-familiar trench coat fall onto her lap. Em blinked what was left of her drowsiness and was now fully aware of sounds like sword blades clashing down below.

Em's left eye twitched ever so slightly from her rising anger. If Tim's opponent was who she highly expected it was, then there'll be mighty hell to pay once she was down there. Em carefully placed Jack's coat over the empty bottle of rum that had sat next to her and quickly got to her feet. They were both making such a commotion down on the deck that Em was slightly surprised that she hadn't been woken up before she heard Tim shout, and that's not even counting on waking up the rest of the crew. Just to make sure what she was about to be getting herself into, from her high position in the crow's nest, Em peered down.

Just as she had known from the moment Tim had woke her up, it was Jack Sparrow who was her skipper's opponent. Both men had their cutlasses drawn and even at this moment were brandishing them on each other up in the poop deck with the wooden steering wheel in between the crossfire. Em watched silently as Tim ran around the great wheel and saw Jack flipped over the balcony railing, landing onto the main deck in front of his quarter's double doors. A moment later, Tim joined him on the deck, having vaulted over the balcony. Em saw Tim's free hand make for one of the front pockets of the dark blue vest he wore, knowing that it contained a handful of daggers in it, and knew that was her cue to get down there before someone died.

_And if no one does die, I'll kill them both with my own two hands_, she thought bitterly as she began to climb down the net.

Busy going down the net, Em didn't see Tim take out a dagger from him pocket and throw it at Jack. Jack ducked low and felt the sharp object whiz over his head, but when he did, Tim's fist connected with his jaw, sending Jack sprawling back and falling back onto the deck. Jack slid a few feet away on his back until he stopped a few yards away from the base of the main mast, and he noticed that his pistol was only a few feet away from his reach, close to the net going to the crow's nest.

However, before Jack could make a move towards his effect, Tim had also noticed the direction the captain was looking at and had kicked the firearm farther from Jack's reach. He looked down at Jack, helpless at the moment for he had lost hold of his cutlass, and Tim pointed his own cutlass at Jack's heart again.

Jack quickly lifted his hand with his index finger raised. "You know, mate, dearest Emelia wouldn't like it one bit if she were to find out that you were trying to get rid of me," he told the younger man quickly, even slyly.

Tim spat down at Jack, but the older man quickly moved his head to the side. His eyes slid quickly towards the spot where Tim had spat on before looking back up at him, now with disgust in his eyes, though he still managed a smile across his lips.

"You don't deserve her," Tim harshly told Jack. "At any given moment if the right pretty lass came into the picture, you would leave Em again, leave her _broken hearted_, without even a second thought. You are a bastard that needs to be getting rid of!"

"While all of that _may_ be true, at least Jack wouldn't get rid of anyone who he thought was competition to getting me out of pure hatred and jealousy, and _especially_ not in a cowardly way," said an equally harsh, _feminine_ voice behind Tim.

Tim's eyes widened and he spun around but instantly collided with Em's fist. He flew to the side, away from Em and Jack, and landed hard on the cold, wooden deck. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a familiar pistol barrel pointed at his head and held by a fiercely angry-looking Em Kraven.

Jack helped himself up, brushing his clothes with his hands. He then turned to Em and clasped his hands together and gave her a small bow of thanks as he jollily exclaimed, "Good timing darling-"

"Shut up Jack!" Em spat at him, though she still glared daggers down at Tim, but it was enough to silence Jack. For a moment, though.

"What did ye say?" Jack asked, though he knew he heard right. He took a look at the pistol she held in her right and saw that it was his. "I think I'll be taking that back-" he started, but Em pivoted around to face him with her right foot so that she still held the pistol pointed at Tim's head, but she had her back to him now instead of her front. Simultaneously as she pivoted around to face Jack, she drew out her cutlass with her left hand and now had it pointed mere inches away from Jack's throat.

"I said, _Shut. Up_," Em snarled.

Jack looked from the blade to Em, to the blade, and then finally back to Em with a blank look on his face. He lifted a finger and told her, "Now tha's not nice, love."

"And so is waking me up with the entire racket you two are making as you were trying to kill each other!" Em shouted, making even Tim wince behind her at the rage she emitted. As if she had eyes behind her head that had seen what he did, her attention was brought back to Tim and over her shoulder, she ordered him below deck. "And this deck is off limits to you _at night_!" she added scathingly.

Tim slowly got to his feet, still mindful of Jack's pistol still aimed at his head. He moved his right hand that still held his cutlass to sheathe his weapon, but Em pulled the trigger of the pistol. Tim felt for a moment that his own heart had stopped beating, but he noticed that the bullet was not meant for any part of his body. Tim slowly looked down to his right hand and saw that it was no longer holding his cutlass. He looked over his shoulder and saw it lying a few feet behind him with a bullet embedded at the part of the sword where the blade and hilt met. He looked back at Em and saw the cold look on her face.

"As of tonight, you are hereby confiscated of your weapon until I say so," Em told him coldly.

Feeling quite thoroughly numb now, Tim could only nod his head meekly and then slowly turn away as he started for the hatch leading below deck.

Em sheathed her cutlass, but then pointed Jack's own pistol at its owner instead when she was sure Tim was gone.

Jack held up his hands as if surrendering. "Peace Emelia, peace!" he said quickly, eyeing his own effect cautiously. He wasn't afraid that she would try to kill him, no matter how mad she was at him, but he was anxious about losing a limb.

Em held the pistol at Jack a moment longer but eventually tossed it back to him with a sad, heavy sigh.

"Thanks darling," Jack said with relief and pocketed his effect.

"You know, Tim's right," Em said suddenly.

"Abou' what, love?" Jack asked curiously. He made to come closer to her, but Em put a hand on his chest, over the little golden bird hanging off the necklace around his neck, and effectively stopped Jack's approach. Jack looked at Em, bewildered. "What's the matter Emelia?" he asked gently.

Em glared up at him. "Tim is right," she insisted, though it was more to herself than Jack. "You don't deserve me," she added when Jack still didn't seem to know what she was talking about.

For a moment, Jack opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out so he closed it again. An almost sheepish look crossed his face and then he finally said, "I know."

_No_, Em cried in her mind, feeling as if he had mortally wounded her with those two simple words. He wasn't supposed to say that. Jack was supposed to deny vehemently that he _did_ deserve her, and that Tim was a bilge-sucking fool to even believe that Jack, no _they_, didn't deserved each other.

Em turned her back on Jack and quietly told him to get out of her sight.

Jack knew, even though he had told Em the truth, what he told her had hurt her deeply; it had hurt Jack too. He quietly left her without another word.

Em closed her eyes shut and as Jack's double doors softly closed behind him, she let a single tear slip down her face before she brushed it roughly away and opened her eyes again. She looked around and the first thing she locked her eyes on was Tim's cutlass. Well she'd deal with that later. Em sighed heavily, almost defeatedly, and looked down. What she saw was Jack's tricorn hat directly three inches in front of her feet. She figured that Jack must have lost it during his fight with Tim and bent down. She carefully picked it up, spun in slowly around her hands for a few moments, and then gently placed it on her head. Instantly, memories of times before when she used to steal Jack's hat from him and put it on with him raging after her to give it back flooded into her mind. It felt like a blow to Em's head and heart, making her stagger back until she bumped into the railing behind.

Em braced herself onto the railing and tilted her head back to look up at the crow's nest. She thought about the empty bottle of rum underneath Jack's trench coat up there and muttered, "I'm gonna need a lot more rum."


	23. Bad Luck, Says Mr Gibbs

"Milady! Milady wake up!"

Em moaned loudly and weakly tried to fend off the old man, but Mr. Drummond was soon shaking her awake with his strong hands. "What is it, Mr. Drummond!" Em barked as she sat up. She made the mistake of opening her eyes and was hit with the powerful rays of the morning sun. Her red eyes seared and her head ached from the horrible hang over she had. On her left lay a few empty bottles of rum to testify how bad her hang over was. She shoved Jack's hat over her eyes and turned to where she had heard Mr. Drummond's voice a moment ago. "What is it?" she demanded again. It was then, when she was beginning to get her bearings and become more fully awake, was when she heard the distinct sounds of a large commotion, two yelling voices to be exact, coming from down below.

"It's Mr. Gibbs, milady," Mr. Drummond told her quickly, only to confirm what she heard. "He refuses fer the crew to set sail."

Always with her infamous quick temper, Em shot up to her feet in a rage, but regretted doing so immediately as a flash of pain sailed through her head. Her feet caught onto something and she nearly stumbled and would have fallen over if it were not for the quick actions of Mr. Drummond's strong hands.

When he helped steady her onto her feet, he sternly reprimanded her, "Ye've been drinking too much!"

"Leave me be, leave me be!" Em cried as she bent down and picked up Jack's trench coat, the thing that had almost made her fall over, and threw it over her left shoulder. "I must get down there at once!" With that, Em slowly began to descend the net. When she had three feet to go on the net, Em jumped down the rest of the way. She was still a bit weak from her hang over, and so when she landed on the deck, her knees instantly gave way to her weight and Em felt herself falling.

A pair of hands caught her by the armpits from behind and saved Em from falling to her knees. Em looked over her shoulder as her savior helped her back onto her feet and saw that it was Jack. He looked a bit worse for wear too, which meant that he had also been drinking heavily last night, presumably after he had left her.

"Careful love, don't want an accident," Jack told her briskly. He saw her wince at his words and knew that it wasn't because she felt embarrassment from having to be saved, if she felt embarrassed at all. He gave her a weak grin. "Seems I wasn't the _only _one who had a wild night," he remarked.

In an attempt to cover her embarrassment at this statement, Em glared at him and brushed away his hands. "Don't think I've forgotten about last night, Jack Sparrow," she told him curtly. She remembered his coat and handed it back to him wordlessly. She turned around and started towards the poop deck, but one of Jack's hands wrapped around her left arm and turned her back around.

"I think yer fergettin' something, Emelia," Jack told her and looked pointedly at the hat she still wore - _his_ hat.

Em slyly looked up at him with half closed eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Captain Sparrow," she told him emotionlessly, but the corners of her lips tugged into a smirk. She pulled out of his hold and walked towards the poop deck with Jack close in tow.

All the crew members were wide awake, some more than others, and all were facing in one direction where the main source of noise came from: the helm. The two captains pushed through the men and climbed up the stairs. The sounds of two men arguing that Em had heard when she woke up were from Mr. Gibbs and surprisingly Tim McIlath. They were both squaring off in a shouting match behind the steering wheel with faces as red as a tomato.

"What in the bloody hell are you two jabbering about?" Em shouted. Immediately, the two fell silent in the face of her rage. Em spun around and looked down at the men below. "And why aren't any of you getting this ship shipping off?" she demanded.

Her crew members all shook their heads, signaling that they had no clue why they weren't at their business, but out of Jack's crew who have dealt with Mr. Gibbs and his superstitions longer than Em and her crew, Marty the dwarf stepped forward and shouted, "We can't sail today because it's a Friday!"

Em turned to Jack, but seeing as how he was still dealing with his own hang over at the moment, she turned back to the crew. "And what's the problem about sailing on Friday?" she demanded with rising irritation.

"Because it's bad luck," said a voice from behind.

Em spun around on her heel and faced the only man on the Pearl who would say that. "Bad luck, you say, Joshamee Gibbs?" Em held back the urge to sigh in aggravation. She rubbed her throbbing temples. It was too early in the morning for something like this.

Mr. Gibbs nodded with strong conviction. "It's very bad luck to be sailing on a Friday, Em," he told her fervently. He reached into the inner pocket of the dark blue vest he wore and took out a small leather flask, uncorked it, and took a quick, nervous sip.

Em gave Gibbs a withering look. Normally she'd have the patience for this foolishness, but not when she had a burning headache as she had now. "So what of the next Fridays to come, Mr. Gibbs?" she demanded. "Will we just set this ship adrift on those days as we are doing now? Do you know how many days doing that will put us back in our voyage?" By now, Em was practically screaming.

Jack winced horribly and said, "Would ye keep it down, love? Yer giving me a mighty ache in me head!"

Then, a croaky voice spoke, "Migh' I make a wee suggestion, cap'n?"

Having been so attentive to Em ranting, no one had noticed that old Mr. Drummond had hobbled up the stairs and now stood at the top step next to Jack.

"At this point, I'm open to any suggestion that doesn't lose us time," Em told her old lookout wearily, but not before shooting an aggravated look over her shoulder at Gibbs. Why wasn't Jack doing anything about this? she was thinking.

Mr. Drummond smiled, revealing his uneven yellowing teeth. "Ye know cap'n, I've been missin' The Raven much these past days, and I think I know how to counter the bad luck if we should sail today," he started.

"I'm listening," Em told him.

The corners of Mr. Drummond's eyes crinkled in amusement. "I perpose that we give our boys some rest today. No sailing, but soon as sunset, we take sail again and 'ave a music night while we're at it."

A small smile broke across Em's dry lips. Though she'd rather be sailing at the time of day where there was better wind, it seemed like a perfect solution. And just as Mr. Drummond subtly indicated, they were bringing something they used to do on The Raven - music night.

Jack saw the smile and grinned, happy how things turned out without him having to put his hand in it. He turned to the rest of the crew with his arms wide open and exclaimed, "We have an accord! No sailing in the day, but we take off at night along wiv music and rum, _lots_ of rum"-he said this with much enthusiasm-"to bring up our spirits!"

The company gave a wild cheer, and even reluctant Mr. Gibbs had to agree with the terms, especially since Jack included rum in them.

Once everyone fell into soft murmurs amongst themselves, Em thanked Mr. Drummond and then ordered the men to "get some hearty rest for tonight because it _will_ be a long night." As they all obligingly filed back down below deck, Em turned to Tim, who had been curiously silent as stone the whole time, but Em dismissed that fact and told him that she wanted to keep watches on deck in case some ship would happen to spot the Pearl.

"Pick five men, one including Michael no matter how much he protests, and tell them to join you. After about three hours, you all can switch places to get some rest if you like," she told him sternly, which Tim took it as a warning to not mess this assignment up. Em turned to Jack and asked if there was anything else she might have forgotten.

Jack nodded and strode (more like stumbled) up to them until he stood next to Em. "Get a man up to the crow's nest, McIlrath," he ordered. He saw Em open her mouth to protest, but he turned to her and replied, "I have a few matters to speak with you that must be settled in me quarters." 

With a stiff nod of acknowledgement in Tim's general direction, Jack started for the stairs.

Tim turned his head to Em with eyes full of defiance to what Jack Sparrow had told him, but Em nodded curtly to him, wordlessly telling him to follow Jack's order before walking away.

"Shut the doors, will you?" Jack called over his shoulder as he and Em walked into his quarters. As he rounded his writing desk, he heard Em shut the doors softly, and then her weary voice drifted to his direction even before she appeared from behind the pillar, "Now what are these matters you have to discuss with me, Jack?" Em appeared in Jack's line of vision in time to see a smirk form on his lips. "What is it?" she inquired, thankful that it was fairly dark in the room except for the weak morning light that streamed through the bay windows behind Jack.

Jack sat in his armchair and sat back with both arms on the armrests. "I lied," he simply told her.

Em raised a single, delicate eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she asked with extra emphasis.

Jack carelessly raised his right hand and shrugged. "I lied," he repeated. He leaned forward and then placed his hands on top of the table. "By the looks of you, ye look as terrible as I feel. Ready to drop dead on yer own two feet at any moment," he added with a bemused smile.

An irritated look crossed Em's face now. "So why must you have someone take to the crow's nest?" she demanded. "You didn't have to get me in here, either!"

Jack tilted his head slightly to the side. "Yes I did, Emelia." He motioned towards his still hammock to his left. "I want you to get a good rest fer tonight, and it will sit better wiv me if I knew ye weren't gonna be watched under Tim McIlrath's eyes," he told her as carelessly and carefree as he could muster, but they both knew otherwise.

Em placed her hands on her hips and glowered across the room at Jack. "And what makes you think that I'm in under _better_ watch with your eyes?" she demanded. Em watched warily as Jack stood up from his desk and walked over to her until he was merely three feet in front of her. She glared up at him warningly, but Jack took no heed of the hard look as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Love, have I _ever_ given you a reason not to trust me?" he asked her seriously.

Em had to admit that he didn't, but there was something inside of her that may have come from her self-preservation against Jack; against being hurt again by him.

"Emelia, you don't have to trust me. You can always trust to mistrust _me_. But now, trust me _judgment_ in this. Savvy?" He swiped his tricorn hat off of her head with one hand and placed it smartly on his head.

Em sighed heavily. She didn't want to argue anymore. She was dead tired as Jack had put it a moment ago, and wanted nothing more than to sleep on something more comfortable than the hard wooden floor of the crow's nest. Anyways, Jack had a point. "Alright Jack," she conceded. 

"I've always trusted you, by the way," she added softly.

Jack smiled widely down at her, and in a momentary impulse, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Feeling her cheeks burning, Em stepped away from him and swiftly made for the hammock. When she looked in it, she noticed that her duffel bag that she hadn't seen since the start of this sea adventure was at the head of the hammock; as if it had been used as a pillow. Perplexed, Em quickly glanced over her shoulder and saw that Jack was back at his desk on his armchair, busying himself over the large account book that held all the numbers of food rations and other things he was writing down. Shaking her head, Em swung herself into the hammock and even before her head hit her duffel bag, she was fast asleep.


	24. Who Can Resist You?

Hours later, Em woke up abruptly by a muffled _thud_ coming from somewhere outside. As her bleary eyes grew more awake and became accustomed to the dim lighting of the room, she found as she carefully sat up in Jack's hammock and looked over to his writing table that Jack wasn't there anymore. The weak, pale light of the moon coming through the bay windows behind Jack's armchair illuminated the ink numerals in the giant account book that lay wide open over the map Em and Jack had routed their journey on. The moonlight was the only source of light in the room.

Slowly, Em swung her legs out of the hammock and then dropped onto the wooden floor. Now fully awake, Em started towards the double wooden doors. Stopping in front of them, she took hold of one of the brass doorknobs and opened the left door about only three inches wide. She didn't really know why she was doing this, but then again, she didn't want to go outside before first knowing what was even happening out on deck. Em bent down slightly and looked through the crack.

Telling by the deep blue, star-filled night sky hovering above the men working on deck, she had slept for quite a while; the whole day in fact. Em bit her bottom lip a little guiltily at knowing that she had done no chores to help the men. She noticed with some interest that many of the men were carrying lighted lanterns and were bringing all of them towards the part of the main deck where the wooden hatch was in between the main mast and the foremast.

Em thought, Why would they need all those lan-? But then the memory of this morning's little squabble with Mr. Gibbs quickly reminded her why. A smile slowly spread across Em's lips. She straightened up and walked back to the cot. Taking her duffel bag that she had used as her pillow, she untied the rope knot that had kept her bag closed and searched inside until her fingers brushed against fine silk. Grabbing onto the material, she pulled it out. It was a midnight blue, short-sleeved silk shirt made from the far country of China. A few years ago, Em and her crew had stopped a merchant ship of the Company and had "relieved" the ship of her goods which included this beautiful shirt.

Gold thread lined the collar in an intricate design of a dragon that curled around the neck. At the front of the shirt near to the bottom were also embroidered pink lotus flowers that look real to Em's eyes. She picked it up and held it over her front, smoothing any wrinkles it may have. The shirt was long enough in length that it reached down mid-waist, which was perfectly fine for Em. Placing the shirt back on the hammock, she began to unbuckle the buckles of her leather corset.  
She let the heavy material drop on the floor at her feet and then took off her cotton long-sleeved shirt. She tossed that also to the ground carelessly. Reaching into her duffel bag once more, she took out a pair of gilded chopsticks that she had also pilfered from the same vessel and began to work on pinning up her long hair in a messy bun on top of her head.

When the last chopstick was set in place and as she began to lower her tired arms, another pair of arms from behind snaked around her waist and she was pulled backwards until her back bumped into a muscular chest. Too surprised to react yet, Em felt the person's hands climb up her torso and gasped softly when they cupped her breasts; even as the person from behind began to lightly put butterfly kisses all over her shoulders.

"Seems as I'm not the _only_ one who's missed these little moments, eh love?" the man murmured.

Em immediately relaxed, however only somewhat, when she knew the identity of the person from behind. She closed her eyes and sighed, whether from relief or from pleasure it was either of their guesses. How stupid was she to not recognize Jack? Even now she could feel the black cloth that he always wore around his right hand grazing her breasts that he still massaged and caressed. Now that she was no longer shocked, she could also feel the many rings that he wore.

Em sighed again, this time deeply, and to Jack's slight surprise and utter delight she relaxed more against his body and placed her hands gently on his arms, fully letting him continue fondling her. Now emboldened by, what seemed to Jack, Em's surrender into his care, he went back to kissing her shoulders. Soon enough, his right hand quickly left Em's right breast and slowly journeyed down her smooth torso.

Em snapped her eyes open when she felt Jack's right hand cupped the region in between her legs, but bit down on her bottom lip to keep from uttering the indignant protest that desperately wanted to escape from her mouth right now. Her eyes landed instantly on her pistol which she had placed on Jack's writing desk before taking off her shirt, and with her left hand, she slowly and quietly took it. Then with her right hand, she flung her long hair over her front and quickly stepped out of Jack's arms. Spinning on her heel, she pierced him with a glare to which he gave her a sly grin.

"I knew ye couldn't resist me fer long, Emelia," he said smugly.

If looks could kill, Jack's body would have been thrown overboard faster than anyone could say "Jolly Roger". Charged with the heat of the moment, Em made the mistake of replying, "What woman in their right mind can resist you, Jack Sparrow?" Em winced, waiting for Jack to give her a comeback that will make her even more regret that she let on to him some of her true feelings, but it did not come.

Jack's grin had faded a bit so that he was staring at her with such intensity that Em found herself feeling slightly awkward and, ironically, a little exposed. Finally, Jack spoke, "I thought for a time it was _you_." Then in a flash, his serious moment was gone and his grin jumped back on the tilting crescent of his lips again. "It's a good thing that ye made that straight fer me then," he added. He crossed his arms over his wide chest and looked down at her with the familiar twinkle in his dark gaze. "Now love, I am not going anywhere until either one of us is rightfully _satisfied_," he told her and cocked his head to the side, smirking now.

And Em could plainly see that he wanted to be "rightfully satisfied." She had felt his stiff manhood poking her from the trousers he wore a moment before she had made for her pistol. Em tilted her head in the opposite direction he had cocked his and took one step closer towards him, holding her pistol behind her, out of sight from his mesmerizing eyes. "Either one of us, Jack?" she murmured seductively and let her right hand curl around the side of his neck.

Jack smiled lazily, though inside it was hard to hide his excitement, and placed a hand on her waist. He was very aware of the fact that through Em's long hair he could almost see her full round breasts. "Aye Emelia," he answered.

Em's dark brown eyes slid away from his gaze in a modest gesture. "Well then . . ." There was a loud click, and when Em looked back at Jack, her whole face held a bit of hostility towards him. "You're out of luck Mr. Sparrow," she finished emotionlessly.

He showed no sign of surprise at this turn of event. "Pirate," was what he could only say.

"Get out or I'll make a fine eunuch out of you," Em threatened.

Jack held up a finger and replied, "Now tha's not very nice love. You shouldn't be saying particular things abou' a man when ye don't even _have_ the very thing that makes a man"-he spread his arms out wide and grinned, almost proudly-"a man!" he finished simply. Minutes later, the double doors of his quarters burst open and he was hurled out through them. As he landed hard on his back, the doors slammed shut.

A pair of footsteps came towards him and a shadow fell over his body as the pair of boots stopped above his head. Jack raised his head and looked up. He met Michael Turnbull's amused sky blue eyes.

"What'd you do this time?" Michael asked.

Jack grinned widely and let his head fall back onto the cold wooden floor. "She can't resist me, mate," he replied. Jack looked around and saw many of the men looking down at him, some with grins on their faces. Realizing the demeaning position he was in, Jack quickly jumped to his feet, shouting, "What do ye think yer lookin' at? Get back to work!" He turned to Michael. "Keep a sharp eye on 'em," he told the younger man and then began to walk towards the hatch leading to the lower decks.

"Where're you going?" Michael called after him.

"To get more rum o' course!"

Not long after, the double doors opened again and Em stepped out. Many pairs of eyes were glued on her. She wore the Chinese silk shirt along with her trousers. Her long hair had been parted horizontally and the upper half was tied up in a bun with chopsticks holding it in place while the lower half lay free at her back. Then all the men broke out in either catcalls which she pointedly silenced with a dirty look, or compliments which she just laughed off.

Em shook her head in amusement. "I'd thought that I'd dress nicely for our first music night," she sighed, and it was accompanied by a few hearty laughs. Em closed the double doors behind her and took a good look around. About the majority of the crew were on the main deck. A few closest to the bow of the Pearl were playing a rough game using a pair of dice. In front of the mountain of lanterns there was a quartet playing a crescendo of some sort of music that bar rooms commonly played. Briggen was one of the four, playing on a flute that looked like he had made it himself. There was also an accordion, a small drum, and a fiddle accompanying Briggen's flute.

Smiling, Em took a few steps forward and then spun around, looking up at the poop deck. She saw Mr. Drummond and Gibbs behind the great wooden steering wheel, talking very loudly about the behaviors of the pirates of today and of the pirates of old.

"Captain Kidd! Arr, 'e was a good pirate if ever thar was one!" Mr. Drummond was saying, and Mr. Gibbs nodded in agreement.

Rolling her eyes but smiling even brighter, Em immediately spotted Michael talking to Ozz near the port side of the ship. She walked over to them and gave them a mock bow. "How do I look boys?" she joked.

Ozz smiled wryly. "Like a perfect wench," he muttered.

Em gave him a dirty look. She looked around and noticed how less rowdy a few of the men were. Then she also noticed how few bottles of rum she saw. "Where's all the rum?" she asked her companions. She turned her eyes back to them in time to see uncertain looks exchanged between them. "It's because of bloody Jack," she answered her own question in a flat tone.

Michael crinkled up his nose. "Jack thought that since we're going to do this every Friday that we should go light on the rum," he said. He and Ozz saw Em's left eye slightly twitch and glanced at each other.

"Bloody selfish pig," Em muttered to herself. "I bought the rum with me own money!" In a second she seemed to have gained back her senses and a stern look crossed her face. "This calls for a little show of what we are really made of as pirates, boys," she said, and then a mischievous look replaced the stern one she had had a moment ago.

Michael and Ozz grinned toothily as they gathered closer to their captain, listening to her plan. Minutes later, Michael broke away and stealthily crossed the deck towards the mountain of lanterns. He took the closest lantern and walked tall and proud back to Em and Ozz with a wide smile on his face. They made sure the coast was clear before stealing towards the hatch leading to the lower decks until their reached the rum cellar.

"Bloody scoundrel," Em swore when she saw how full the rum caches still were. Feeling even more rebellious against Jack, she started pulling out bottles. "Make yourself useful," she ordered Ozz and tossed him a bottle. Then she turned to Michael. "Watch for anyone approaching," she added.

Michael saluted to her. "Aye aye, captain," he said and stood guard.

When Em and Ozz couldn't carry anymore bottles, the three of them stole back up the stairs and emerged feeling victorious onto the main deck. The men spotted the female captain and her accomplices laden with more rum and cheered as the trio began to distribute the alcohol all around. By now, everyone was livening up and the jolly country music had grown louder, echoing over the churning ocean waters below.

* * *

"_Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!_" Ozz began to sing at the top of his lungs. He swayed a little, indicating he was on his way to being drunk.

"_Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!_" the company shouted back.

Em grabbed a bottle of rum, popped the cork open, and took a deep drink as Michael added his two bits, "_Take what's yours and steal all the rest!_"

"_Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!_"

Em laughed along with everyone else and walked towards the left side, or port side, of the Pearl. She leaned leisurely onto the raining and looked down. A bright smile broke over her face as high pitched squeaking greeted her down below in the waters. The dolphin was there, swimming along with the Pearl amongst the waves. Em tipped the bottle towards the dolphin in a toast and drank. Feeling familiarly lightheaded, Em turned away from the dolphin and instantly caught two pairs of eyes staring at her. She hadn't seen either of the mesmerizing dark brown and dark green eyes before when she first came on deck, but she saw Jack and Tim's eyes now looking at her.

_Trouble_ was the only word that registered in Em's mind as she watched their eyes take turns at staring at her to glaring at each other. Recalling what Mr. Gibbs had said a few days back, Em quickly traversed the deck towards the playing quartet while she dodged drunken pirates. She kicked a wooden crate closer to the players and sat down next to Briggen before placing the empty bottle on the ground in front of her. Out from a pocket of her trousers, she produced a harmonica that once belonged to Tobias. Many of the men's eyes were drawn instantly to the harmonica which sparkled with the gold that it was made out of. Smirking, but knowing that there will be attempts from Jack's crew at stealing this prized possession, Em brought the harmonica to her lips and began to play along with the other four.

Leaning dangerously close to the edge of the starboard side railing, Godsworth began another familiar pirate song,

_"We pillage, we plunder, we riffle, and loot!  
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"_

A long piece of rope descended down from up the crow's nest and dangled very closely next to Em, but she didn't notice it. She had stopped playing her harmonica and was sinigng along with the rest of the crew.

_"We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.  
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"_

A figure appeared right above Em. The figure was standing at the edge of the crow's nest looking down at his captain. He grabbed the rope and stepped off the edge.

Em heard and felt someone land heavily on her other side of jumped in fright shouting, "Bloody hell!" She made to draw her pistol but froze when she recognized the familiar bark-like laughter from the person that had dropped next to her. An irritated look crossed her face. "Damn you to the depths of Davey Jones' locker, Chase Turnbull!" she snarled and turned around in her seat to face him.

Chase Turnbull, Michael's long distant cousin from his father's side, looked down at Em Kraven with laughter shaking his whole body. He was dark where Michael was fair, and was his cousin's opposite in looks. While Michael's hair was also straight, Chase's hair was a wild curly bush that sometimes fell into his hazel eyes. Other than that, Chase could be Michael's twin brother except for the fact that Chase had a bit of Ozz's love for women in him and he had the eyes of a hawk.

Chase spread his arms wide open and swept Em a bow. "Care to dance, my lady?" he asked mockingly in a feigned gentlemanly tone.

Em rolled her eyes as she stood up, pocketing her harmonica. She grinned sheepishly and mocked curtsied before him, despite the fact that she wore wool trousers. "How charming of you, _kind sir_," she chirped, batting her eyelashes. They both burst out laughing as Chase brought Em into his arms, and they danced. Many hoots and whistles pierced the air as everyone watched the two twirl and fool around. Out of the corner of her eye Em plainly saw Tim, who was leaning his back on the railing next to Godsworth, and Jack, who was standing in front of the steps going up to the poop deck, watch her dance with Chase with ugly looks across their faces.

"Mighty fine mess you got in _this_ time, Em!" Chase shouted as he suddenly picked her up by her waist and flung her up in the air. Em screamed and then gasped as she landed roughly back in Chase's arms.

"Blaggard!" she shouted and attempted to punch him on the head, but Chase ducked and laughed along with the crew. He took up her hands again and led her into a wild sort of dance that resembled a waltz. "And it's not my fault I'm in this mess," she added peevishly.

Chase grinned and dipped Em down. "Oh yes it is," he replied and brought her back up.

Em shifted her eyes towards the stairs and saw that Jack had come closer. He was drinking deep from a bottle of rum. His tricorn hat was perched at a lopsided angle. Em smirked conspiratorially and looked at Chase who was giving her a look that told her he knew she was up to something. "Get closer to Jack," she ordered.

Chase's grinned widened and he obliged, spinning them both in one hundred-eighty degree circles. As they passed in front of Jack, Em slipped her left hand from Chase's grip and cleanly snatched off Jack's hat. She roared with laughter as she smartly plopped Jack's hat on her head and watched as the pirate choked on his rum in surprise.

"You're really gonna get it!" Chase shouted, but he was flushed pink from laughing also. They danced closer and closer towards the quartet and stopped in front of them to take a breath, breathing hard through their nostrils.

"You look tired mate. Here, take a rest." A rough hand grabbed Em's left hand, and she was twirled around until a pair of arms enfolded her in their embrace. Em found herself staring up at Jack's twinkling eyes. Behind her, Chase winked at Jack over his captain's head before moving off to find his cousin.

As they began to dance, Em recovered her composure and looked up at Jack Sparrow. She saw the proud little smile he wore and decided to return the favor. "Do you like what I am wearing Jack?" she asked him pleasantly. For a moment, she let her eyes slide up casually to indicate Jack's hat before letting them settle back to gazing up at his own eyes. The quartet's song was slower which suited for Em and Jack to properly waltz to. The corner of Em's lips quirked up in a mischievous grin.

Jack knew she was rubbing in the fact that she wore his hat and quickly replied, "I do." A cheeky grin of his own formed under his mustache. "But I rather fancy you _without_ that lovely silk shirt, love," he added. Jack held onto Em's left hand as he twirled her around him.

"Wretch!" Em hissed angrily as she was once again before him.

As Jack dipped her down slowly, he whispered in her ear, "I loved it as much as you did, Emelia."

"Pirate!" Em scoffed when she was brought back onto her feet, but her crimson complexion told Jack what Em wouldn't admit out loud: she_ had_ liked it.

Jack smiled down at her. "Now yer getting the idea," he remarked. Surprisingly, Em laughed, and compared to the music the quartet played, it was a symphony fit for King George's own palace party. Jack sighed longingly and drew her closer towards his body.

Em saw his mesmerizing eyes drew nearer even as her hand cupped his bearded chin.

The sweet moment was soon gone when Jack was suddenly pushed away, and Em found herself dancing in Tim's arms. She looked wildly around until her eyes landed on Jack a few feet away with eyes narrowed dangerously at the younger man she danced with.

Em snapped her attention up at Tim, eyes also narrowed with her rising temper. "You had no right to do as you had just done back there," she snapped. Her tone was loud enough to carry around the whole main deck and up onto the poop deck. Everyone, drunk and sober, heard and many were listening even as all eyes were drawing upon the two.

Tim, however, was unfazed by the attention or by the prospect of facing Em's temper. The only sign that indicated that he had something to worry about was the slight sheen of sweat on his brow. "You were going to embarrass yourself in front of everyone," he replied smoothly. His face remained emotionless, but Em plainly saw the smugness in his dark green eyes at having given her a valid answer that he can get away with.

_Tch_. Like she'd _let_ him get away with this.

"I swear by all that Davy Jones hold dear to him-" Em began her oath, but Jack's coldly calm voice from behind Tim interrupted her.

"I believe you've done me a rather grave wrong by _stealing_ my dance partner, McIlrath. Didn't anyone ever teach you any _gentlemanly _manners?"

A dark look crossed Tim's face. He let go of one of Em's hands and half turned to face his rival. "Which is why I'm a pirate, Sparrow," he snarled.

"Captain!" Jack and even Em corrected him immediately.

"It's _Captain_ Sparrow to you, Tim McIlrath!" Em snapped, drawing both of their attentions (and that of the onlookers too) towards her. Em slapped Tim's hand off of hers and took a step back from him. She put her hands on her hips and stood her ground looking like a fierce panther. "And he is right," she added acidly. "Point one, you did do him a grave wrong, and point two, you don't have any manners whatsoever!" Em's dark brown eyes glared up at her skipper. "Get out of my sight!" she ordered, and pointed towards the general direction of where the hatch was.

Tim stood in between Em and Jack for a long moment, still and numb as a statue, until sudden rage made him remember how to use his limbs and he was walking towards the hatch leading to the lower decks. All eyes on the upper deck were on his retreating back, but Tim was oblivious to their attention as he had been this whole night. Before he started his descent, Tim chanced one last glance over his shoulder, and what he saw made his blood run cold as his gut burned as hot as the flames of Hell.

Em and Jack were up in the poop deck, standing quite close to each other behind the steering wheel. Mr. Gibbs and Drummond were no longer there. It was only Em and Jack. Tim watched as Jack offered Em his bottle of rum which she accepted gratefully. As she drank the rich amber substance, Jack slipped an arm around her narrow waist and drew her closer to his body. Em lowered the bottle slowly from her lips even as her eyes slid up to meet Jack's dark gaze with a look that all but wrenched Tim's heart from his chest.

Tim turned away from the sight and clenched his fists hard as he descended down the wooden steps, a thousand and one thoughts flitting through his tumultuous mind.


	25. My Gratitude, With Much Love

_"Mr. Drummond, how come he's not come back yet?" little Emelia Kraven demanded. Her fierce, yet worried, dark brown eyes stared up at the elder through the tangle of jet black hair that framed her little round face. She looked about eight years old. _

_  
Mr. Vincent Drummond, looking ten years younger and stronger than what he looked like in the present day, smiled down at this little girl who's been more like the daughter he lost many years ago than the little daughter of his late friend John Kraven and wife Jenna Kraven. "Don't ye be worryin' little missy," Mr. Drummond gently told the impatient girl. Even after retiring from life on the sea nearly ten years ago, he still carried his rough accent. "Yer brother will come back to ye. 'E always does." Yet even as he spoke these words of comfort to her, these words didn't seem to have any real meaning or gave any real comfort to he, himself.  
_

_Little Emelia, reassured for the moment, turned her gaze away from her caretaker and looked off towards the deep blue sea spread wide out in front of them. It was nearing sunset, and from their view on the plain porch of their three bedroom home up on top one of the many hills surrounding the port town of Bridgetown, the soft mix of the sunset against the blue backdrop of the sky was magnificent in the almond-shaped eyes of the little girl. _

_  
Without looking at Mr. Drummond, Emelia asked, "Why did he have to go along with Andrew Turnbull and his father on the Sea Serpent?" Had she been looking at Mr. Drummond when she had posed the innocent question, she would have seen a dark and even nervous look cross the elder's face.  
_

_"Tobias wanted t'see how young Andy's father caught the fish tha' 'e takes to the market in town," Mr. Drummond finally replied. He ran a tanned hand through his graying auburn hair and inwardly sighed with relief. Just one more day - one more day that Emelia doesn't have to know, he thought wistfully.  
_

_Emelia's little pink lips stuck out slightly in a pout and she plopped down on the top step of the porch. Leaning forward, she propped her elbows heavily on her skinny knees and let her head settle on her fists. "He could'a let me gone with him," she whimpered.  
_

_Placing a hand on one of the wooden beams that supported the porch roof, Mr. Drummond slowly sat down next to the little girl and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back. "There, there milady," he told her gently. "This was sumthin' tha' a boy 'asta do."  
_

_Emelia glared down at the dirt ground. She spotted an ant crawling along a thin crack on the ground and focused her anger onto the bug. "I'm as good as any of the other boys," she mumbled resentfully to herself. "I'm even better than some of them!" That last one she accidentally said out loud. She quickly turned her head to Mr. Drummond and saw him staring down at her in a bemused expression on his weather-weary old face.  
_

_"Are ye daft, missy?" he asked after a moment, although his yellowing amber eyes showed that he was only teasing. "I know tha' I don't make ye go to school fer nothing!" Mr. Drummond was spared from having to be answered when he noticed that Emelia was now sitting up with an __expression of happiness and excitement on her face as she stared out into the distance in front of them.  
_

_Then with a great shout that left the older man's ears ringing, Emelia shot out from the porch and was running down the beaten path leading away from the house towards the pre-teen boy walking up the path. When Mr. Drummond had turned his full attention forward, he became the spectator of the scene of two siblings, one hugging her brother like she never wanted to let go, and the brother holding onto his sister tenderly to his long, lanky body.  
_

_Little Emelia suddenly stepped out of her brother's warm embrace, and then she punched him, although not hard, on his chest. "What took you so long?" she demanded. Emelia placed her little fists on her waist and glared up at her older brother.  
_

_Despite the slight annoyance at having to be hit by his little sister, Tobias Kraven managed to grin down at her. "Aww, you shouldn't be jealous 'cuz you didn't get to come, Emelia," he teased.  
_

_Emelia crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her left foot down hard on the ground. "That's not funny!" she practically screamed. "I thought you were never coming back!"  
_

_Twelve year old Tobias' grin slipped off from his handsome boyish features and was replaced with a guilty look. "I'm sorry," he apologized and brought his little sister into his arms again. "I didn't mean to worry you, Em," he added.  
_

_Emelia barely had registered her brother's loving reassurance when she felt as if she had been ripped out from his arms and was being pulled away from him by an unknown force.  
_

_"Tobias!" she cried out in fright, stretching out her arms to her brother, but it was not her brother anymore who was standing at the dirt pathway. It was Jack.  
_

_"Jack!"_

* * *

High up in the crow's nest of the Black Pearl, twenty-eight year old Emelia Kraven sat straight up with a start, gasping for air as if she had been drowning with cold sweat tickling down her back. Once she had come back to the real world, she then noticed the slight sway of the crow's nest from her earlier abrupt awakening and slowly placed one hand on the edge and one hand on the mast behind her, keeping them there until it was still again.

Her earlier heaving breathing was contained now so that she breathed deeply through her nose, eyes closed tight as the images of her dream replayed over and over in her mind. However, it wasn't a dream, but a memory that was twenty years old; at least for the most part up until the ending. Em sighed and shook her head, wiping the sweat off her brow with her sleeve. With her unoccupied hand, she blindly groped around, but when she didn't feel the familiar cold glass bottle of rum, Em opened her eyes and looked around.

A small grimace appeared across her face, and she moaned, "No wonder I had a nightmare like that." Shaking her head once more, she slowly stood up, slipped Jack's trench coat on, and then began to climb down the net.

When her feet had touched the ground, Em cautiously looked around the main deck, breathing a sigh of relief as she found it empty - until she spotted something that nearly made her heart stop, that is.

To her far left at the stern side of the Pearl where the helm was located at, Em spotted one of the double doors of Jack's quarter slightly ajar. Heart now pounding thunderously in her chest, Em quietly traversed across the deck until she stood within a yard away from the doors. She warily looked to her left, and then to her right, but saw no shadow that might have belonged to her rogue captain counterpart. Cautiously, Em stepped closer and tilted her head to the side, inching her ear closer towards the crack. To her immense relief, she heard Jack Sparrow's soft snores from within the room.

Smiling slightly to herself now, and feeling her confidence seeping back into her bones, Em stood back. Reaching towards the door knob, she quietly closed the open door before turning sharply around on the balls of her heels and made her way towards the hatch leading down to the other decks.

The old wooden stairs creaked and groaned along with the rest of the ship as Em began to descend down the steps. Spotting a lit lantern hanging off a long nail stuck onto the first wooden beam she approached, Em quietly took the lantern and then proceeded on her way down the second flight of steps that led into the crew's quarters.

She stood silently amidst the crescendo of snores and other odd sounds coming from the sleeping crew. Holding the lantern up high, she scanned the whole deck until her dark brown eyes landed on the sleeping figure of Tim McIlrath. Just staring across the room at his handsome features made Em want to kill him in his sleep.

She had not heard a peep from him since three days ago when they had their first music night on the ship. Em had heard nothing, but saw a lot. Whenever Jack and Tim thought she wasn't looking, there had been many exchanges of venomous (on Tim's part) or challenging/smug (on Jack's part) looks between the two. It was slightly driving her nuts. And sometimes Mr. Gibbs' words would repeat in her mind: Terrible _bad luck to have a woman onboard. Rowdy-ing up the men._

But it was not just making her start to believe she was "rowdy-ing up the men" that made Em want to harm Tim. As she had reflected upon the last scenes of her dream back up in the crow's nest, Em knew, just simply yet complicatedly knew that it had been Tim who had been the unforeseen force that had ripped her away from Tobias-from Jack.

At that moment, Tim grunted loudly in his sleep, and it started a chain reaction of grunts and louder snores all around the quarters. Em glared at Tim, although it really wasn't his fault that 

she had at least five years of her life frightened out of her or that her heart was beating overtime for the second time that night. Muttering darkly under her breath, Em turned away and began going down the stairs again.

Em hung the lantern at the entrance of the wine cellar before walking right in. She let her delicate-looking fingers skim across the cold bottle necks that protruded out from the caches until she stopped at least mid-way and grabbed hold onto one of the bottle necks. Carefully, Em slid the bottle out of its place and held it up high so that the amber liquid caught the dim lighting. Turning her back on the entrance door, Em uncorked the bottle and drank deep, closing her eyes as she savored every cool drop that cascaded down her throat. With the familiar fuzzy feeling in the back of her head, Em lowered the bottle from her wet lips and slightly leaned on a part of the wine cellar that was empty of wine bottles as she downed the rum until she couldn't think past drinking herself drunk.

When the last drop of rum had been consumed with a gusty sigh, Em lowered the bottle once more and pushed off from the wine cellar. For a moment, it felt as if the ground had lurched from underneath her, and she was swaying precariously, head spinning and eyelids drooping. Em suppressed the urge to burp and giggled slightly as she placed a hand on a nearby wooden beam to steady herself. She corked the empty bottle and had every intention of putting it back where she had taken it when suddenly a hand wrapped around her upper left arm and spun her around. Em lost hold of the bottle, and it went crashing to the already dirty floor. Em blinked a couple of times until her cloudy vision focused on a pair of green eyes staring down at her.

An annoyed expression flitted across her drunken facial features. "What're you doin' here?" she slurred angrily. "You have no righ' t'be touching me!"

Tim knew before he had gazed down on Em's flushed face and hazy dark eyes that she would be drunk; even if she had drunk her first bottle of rum.

Which made seducing her all the sweeter.

Without a word, Tim gripped her other shoulder and kissed her hard on the lips. He heard Em scream in protest against his lips and try to push him away, but Tim held the back of her head to keep her from getting away. Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw Em's left fist rise up to hit him, but he was ready. Just mere inches away from almost being knocked over, Tim clapped one of the two iron cuffs on Em's wrist. Quickly before she had time to process what was happening, Tim let go of Em's head and cuffed her other hand.

Em, who was now fully sobered up, glared daggers up at Tim. "Release me or I will have every man on this ship awake and hunting you down!" she demanded fiercely.

Tim took the chain that linked the cuffs and yanked it hard towards him so that Em all but fell against his chest. "Well then I wouldn't want that," he whispered into her hair.

In a second, Em was pushed back into a wooden beam. Before she could react, Tim had hooked the chain onto a hook high above her head making her virtually his prisoner. Torn painfully between wanting to save her dignity and wanting to save herself, Em made up her mind that dignity could go to the depths of the ocean. She opened her mouth to scream, but Tim pressed his lips on hers once more, placing his hands on either side of her head as she thrashed from underneath him. Em tried to scream again, but Tim bit down hard on her bottom lip. Em tasted the salty metallic taste of her own blood as she closed her eyes tight and kept her lips firmly pressed together. Goosebumps of disgust rose on her skin as she endured the wet feeling of Tim's rough tongue slide over her bleeding lip. Her head spun and her stomach clutched so hard that she wished nothing more than to throw up right now.

She tried one desperate attempt to unhook herself off from the hook above but only succeeded in making her wrists burn as the sharp edges of the cuffs rubbed painfully on her skin. Em felt Tim's hands began to slide over the laces that held the silk corset she wore underneath Jack's trench coat and knew what was going through his mind immediately. She began to thrash her body around like she had never done before, but Tim only pressed the lower half of his body up against her and grabbed a fistful of her long hair. He finally withdrew his lips from hers and yanked her head back so that she was made to look into his lust-filled green eyes. She could see some places that her blood had smeared around his lips and a deep pit of hate formed in her stomach even as his free hand began to undo the top rows of laces.

"When the time is right, I'll see you to Davy Jones," Em vowed venomously. Half of her corset was open and unlaced, and Tim's fingers were starting on the top buttons of the plain, long-sleeved cotton shirt she wore underneath.

Tim smirked slowly, lecherously. If Em didn't know any better, she'd say he was bewitched or something. "Well then I guess the time isn't right for you," he replied.

Tim made to press his lips on hers again, but a distinct loud click like a hammer of a pistol being cocked resounded from behind him.

Then a familiar rough voice said, "Now that's not a way to _ever_ treat a lady, McIlrath."

Em closed her eyes and sighed heavily, for once since meeting him again relieved to hear Jack's voice. She felt Tim's weight off of her body, and when she snapped open her eyes, it was to see Tim facing Jack with his back towards her, cutlass drawn out.

For a brief moment, Jack's eyes flickered over to Em, and the sight he met fueled his anger at the young man standing in between them. Jack returned his attention to Tim with a cold, aloof gleam in his eyes. He saw the cutlass raised at him and lazily said, "Put that away son. It's not worth you bein' dead for."

Tim's facial features contorted and flushed in rage. "When I'm done with you, you'll be the one dead!" he shouted and lunged at Jack. Jack shook his head from side to side for a moment before ducking low under the high strike from Tim. While still under him, Jack pointed his pistol at 

Tim's heart while with his other hand he grabbed the other's sword arm wrist. In one fluid motion, Jack twisted Tim's arm back so that the other was forced to drop his weapon, and raising his pistol high in the air, Jack brought the butt down hard on Tim's head, knocking him immediately unconscious.

Em had watched this whole scene with eyes wide with wonder at Jack's level-headedness and cunning which she had never really seen before. Her eyes followed Tim's body as Jack let it fall ungracefully at his feet. Bending down, Jack rifled through Tim's clothes before he produced the key that would unlock the cuffs.

Standing back up, Jack holstered his pistol back on his leather belt and turned around to face Em. The first thing he noticed was that Em had her head bent down so that her long hair fell into her face like dark curtains, obscuring her face completely from view. Finding that rather odd, Jack slowly walked up to her with the key still in hand. It was when he was at least three feet from her that he realized Em was slightly trembling.

"Emelia?" Jack asked softly as he stopped in front of her. Em did not look up. Now starting to become very concerned, Jack started to reach out to Em with his free hand, but Em spoke.

"Leave me Jack," she said softly. "Leave me in this pitiful, degrading state."

Jack heard loud and clearly, not the words, but the pleading and the misery that were the icing to her tone. He reached out and pushed the right side of Em's hair behind her multi-pierced ear. He immediately noticed her swelling bloody lip and the silent tears that cascaded down the revealed half of her face. Feeling his heart sink at what Em had correctly assumed as a "pitiful, degrading state", Jack cupped Em's chin and tilted her head up.

"Look at me love," Jack commanded when she had failed to meet his eyes.

Almost sullenly, Em acceded, and her dark eyes met Jack's eyes. "I thought I told you to leave me," she said with a strained edge to her tone.

The pad of Jack's thumb gently wiped away the smeared blood on her chin. When he touched the split part of her bottom lip, he felt Em try to jerk away from his touch, and Jack wanted nothing more right now than to hold her close to his body. He lowered his head towards her.

Em closed her eyes instinctively, but she never felt Jack's lips on her own. Instead, she heard his say, "I couldn't possibly leave you like this Emelia. No matter how tempting the idea might be." Em opened her eyes and only saw the twinkle in Jack's mesmerizing orbs. "There'd be too many questions from the crew-questions I wouldn't want asked. Savvy?" he added and winked at her.

However, both Jack and Em knew the real reason why he would never have left her there, and it softened and pained Em's heard. She was humbled by Jack's unspoken words.

"Corsair," she whispered softly, breathtakingly, lovingly.

Feeling the opportune moment too ripe to pass up, Jack closed the rest of the space between their lips and kissed her passionately.

Not even the burning pain on her bottom lip from the pressure of Jack's lips ruined this moment for Em as she returned the kiss with equal fervor. At the same time, she was acutely aware of Jack's hands slowly roaming up her body. They stopped briefly over at the tops of her exposed breasts before returning to their journey north.

Jack felt Em shudder in pleasure as his hands slid leisurely over her arms, but not before the tips of his fingers danced over the silver hoops that ran along the outer bridges of both of her ears. As he started to unlock her cuffs, he pressed his body harder on hers, receiving a delicious moan that gave him the opportunity to slide his tongue in the hot cavern of her mouth.

When Em heard the loud click of the locks and the pressure around her wrists gone (aided by Jack, who tried to rub the feeling back into her wrists), Em submissively let Jack pin her hands effortlessly on either side of her head.

Em somehow managed to break her lips away from Jack's and as he tried to catch his breath, Em whispered into his ear, "I love you."

Upon registering the sincerity in those three words, Jack seemed to freeze. He quickly diverted his eyes in the direction of the row of rum bottles to his left and said in a surprisingly brusque tone, "I seem to recall this very same situation back in Tortuga." He turned his gaze back to Em then, and there was something in his eyes that Em couldn't figure it out. "Except the roles were merely switched."

Not it was Em's turn to divert her eyes away from his accusing ones (which she now recognized). "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry." But should she really be apologizing to Jack? Yes, she had told him to "forget about _us_", but from the days after she had told him this, it was not like he had made an effort to do as she had said. However, she was also to blame. Sometimes in the last few days when she was in Jack's company, Em would almost feel as if she could forgive Jack.

Jack slowly shook his head and pushed off of Em. "Don't think about it anymore, love," he told her in a softer tone. "C'mon, let's get outta here before Sleeping Beauty over there wakes up," he added as he threw a contemptuous look over his shoulder at Tim's unconscious body.

At the less than subtle mention of Timmothy McIlrath, Em's momentary subsided anger boiled back to the surface, which Jack caught a glimpse of in her eyes before Em had turned around to face the beam. Standing on her tip-toes, she unhooked the cuffs. Turning back around, she walked past Jack and over to Tim's form lying face down. With no regrets, Em kicked Tim hard on his right side so that he rolled onto his back. Kneeling down, she proceeded to clap the cuffs on him with two satisfyingly loud snaps.

Jack stepped closer to her, but still kept a considerable amount of distance between them. He wasn't going to ask if that was necessary because he knew it _was_, but-

"What are we supposed to do wiv him now?" he demanded. He wasn't about to let McIlrath lay in the brig, rotting away and eating rations of food that he didn't earn. Sure, keeping him far away from Em did cross his mind, but Jack was more practical than leaving him as a useless deadweight to his ship.

Em stood back up and turned to him with a grim look on her face. "I'm inclined to show him the kindness that he's done to me," she replied almost bitterly.

Jack caught on immediately, and in a few minutes of negotiation, they had Tim hanging off a higher hook at the far corner of the wine cellar where no one could find him behind a few empty crates.

"He almost looks like a dead duck," Em remarked, tilting her head a little to the side.

Jack smirked. "Exactly," he replied.

Em turned around to leave, but Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "Just wait a moment more darling," he told her and in a moment he was gone. A half a minute later, he was back and carrying a bottle of rum. He saw the confused look on Em's face and held the bottle to her. "For yer lip, love," he told her. "It's swelling up."

Em smiled as she took the bottle. "My gratitude," she replied.

Jack shook his head. "No Emelia," he said, "thank _you_ fer holding me rum fer me." He grinned down at the sheepish look that crossed Em's face.

Leaving Tim, physically and mentally, Em and Jack started up the stairs. As they passed the cage of chickens that was located in the crew's quarters, the chickens seemed to cluck louder.

"Shh! Quiet!" Em hissed at them.

Jack rolled his eyes, withdrew his pistol from his belt, and pointed it at the cage. The clucking instantly ceased. "Heh, thought so," he remarked before they proceeded to go up the rest of the steps.

Em breathed in deeply the cold, fresh ocean air as she stepped onto the main deck. Her lip throbbed slightly under the cold glass of the bottle of rum, but other than that, her lip felt 

perfectly fine and no longer bleeding. Taking the bottle away from her lip, she turned to Jack just as he emerged from the hatch.

He looked up and saw that Em was holding out his rum to him. "Thank-y love," he told her and took the bottle carefully and almost greedily from her hands.

"No Jack, thank _you _- for everything," Em said. She turned around and started towards the main mast, but Jack's hand once more was placed on her shoulder.

"Now Emelia, do you _really_ think I'd let you stay all by your lonesome self up there with that addlepate sailor of yers still on this ship?" Jack demanded when Em had turned around to face him.

Em blinked and she opened her mouth to protest, but Jack was now pulling her by her left hand towards his quarters, saying over his shoulder, "Ah ah, no complaints from you, love! Yer sleepin' in me cabin fer now on where I can keep a close eye on you!" They burst in through the double doors, just stopping briefly for Jack to shut them with a snap and lock them before continuing to pull Em into the room.

Em yanked her hand away from Jack and tried to slap him across the face as he turned to face her, but Jack jerked his head back in time, watching as her hand whizzed past his face by a mere three inches. He sighed in relief before he was bombarded by Em's complaints.

"I don't need you to look after me!" she was practically yelling.

Jack's spine stiffened. "Oh, and I suppose you didn't need me help when McIlrath had ye hanging down there as he tried to seduce ye, eh?" he countered angrily. Jack knew as he uttered the name "McIlrath" that he had taken too far from the pained look that crossed Em's face, but it had to be said. She did need him whether her thick head let her understand it or not. Jack surprised Em by taking her roughly into his arms and holding her close to his body. "My sincere pardon, Emelia," he said into her ear. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way, but you can't always believe you alone can protect yerself."

Em closed her eyes. She knew his was right. "I know that Jack," she admitted, "but treating me as if I'm a fine porcelain doll isn't making it any easier for me to accept."

Jack pulled away from her but still held her by her upper arms. "Then I won't treat you like one 'cuz you certainly are _not_ a porcelain doll," he told her.

Em smiled weakly up at him. "Where will I sleep, Jack?" she asked him. "That was the whole reason why I was sleeping up in the crow's nest in the first place," she reminded him.

Jack smiled down at her, revealing several of his gold teeth. "You'll take the hammock, and I in me chair," he told her and gestured with a grand sweep of his hand towards his writing desk. When he was sure Em wasn't going to say anything else, Jack released her and started for his desk, placing the bottle of rum on top of it as he went, but Em quickly moved towards him.

Jack spun around and caught Em around the shoulders before they collided. "What is it?" he demanded, with a trace of worry in his voice.

Swallowing hard, Em said, "I want to say I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack relaxed, and replied, "Ye already told me that, Emelia."

Em shook her head and held onto his arms tighter as if he would slip away from her if her hold was lax. "No, but you need to hear this." She took a deep breath and dove in. "That night back in Tortuga when you said you loved me-"

"_Love_, not _loved_. It's still in present tense," Jack quickly interjected.

Em placed the tips of her left hand on his mouth to keep him from interrupting anymore. "Hear me out," she pleaded. Jack nodded his head and noticed that Em still had her fingers on his lips. "When you said you loved me," she began, "and I reacted how I did-I didn't mean it." Em closed her eyes and felt Jack's arms encircle around her waist. "Jack, I've accepted that one day after this grand adventure we're in is over, you will have to leave me again." Em blinked and a tear drop rolled down her cheek. "But I want you to know that I still love you too," she finished. "I always have, and I always will."

Jack took her hand in his and pressed a kiss on her palm. "Belay that talk, Ms. Kraven," he told her in a soft, stern tone. "It's most unbecoming of you." Jack lowered his head and caught her lips with his own. Em closed her eyes again and returned the kiss with equal intensity. She felt his other hand slide up the front of her corset, and then he slowly began to untie the rest of the laces that held it together. Em's right hand ran through Jack's wild locks before grabbing his hat and tossing it behind her carelessly.

Her corset fell on the ground soundlessly, and she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck as he slowly lowered her onto the Persian rug. Jack noticed then that she still wore his coat and said huskily, "I believe ye have sumthin' of mine love, and I have every intention of getting it back."  
Em grinned wickedly beneath him. "Jack Sparrow, you know that you don't have to take my love because I've always given it to you," she replied, but she did slip her arms out of Jack's trench coat anyway, letting it lie beneath her.

Jack's grin matched hers, and his eyes twinkled with lust. His hands were busy unbuttoning the rest of the buttons of her long-sleeved shirt. The tops of her breasts were already exposed for his eyes, but Jack wanted to properly reacquaint himself with the twins. Yet Em didn't want his attention on her breasts. She pulled his head down and kissed him hard, moaning as Jack's thumbs began to rub over her nipples. Jack thought of something better and pulled Em up, placing her on his lap, and the first thing she noticed once she was sitting down was his hard member poking at her through his trousers.

"Wretch," she moaned as Jack began to slowly suck on her breasts. She cradled his head to her chest and threw her head back, letting the pleasurable sensations sweep over her. Jack's hands pushed back her cotton shirt so that it fell off of her shoulders, and then he started on unbuckling her trousers. Em got on her knees and let her shirt slide off her arms and onto the ground before beginning to pull off Jack's own clothes off of him, starting with his upper half. Pushing away his dirty cotton shirt revealed his deep tanned muscular chest with two round scars on the left side. And standing out the most was the small golden pendant of the soaring bird carrying the bell in its beak.

For a moment, Em let the fingers of her left hand run over the bird before listlessly tracing circles around these scars before she lowered her head and kissed them both. She began to kiss and suck the rest of Jack's chest even as her hands slid down to his belt and began to undo it. Jack groaned and slid off Em's trousers down from her waist, letting his fingers brush over the soft skin of her buttocks as the material fell to her knees. He groaned once more when Em was able to free his throbbing manhood from its confines. He gently pushed Em off of his lap and brought her back on the floor, pinning her hands on either side of her head.

Em licked her lips slowly and seductively, watching how Jack's eyes seem to darken more with his desire. He lowered his body onto hers as she positioned her legs on either side of his body, opening up wide for his entry which he did immediately. Em shut her eyes tight and moaned loudly as she felt Jack's large manhood slide into her slick, hot core. She was very ready for him, he found out as he began to start a rhythm inside of her. Em wrapped her legs around his torso in a desperate attempt to bring him deeper into her. Their breathing became heavier and heavier as Jack pumped harder, deeper, and faster into Em while she was growing closer and closer over the edge.

At some point, Jack released his grip from her hands and grasped her waist, helping him drive into her even more. Em's back arched up, thrusting her hard-nipple breasts for Jack to lick and suck. Em's arms slide underneath Jack's and scratched down his back relentlessly as she neared her orgasm. Then with a loud scream, she came. She shuddered from underneath Jack, who was not finished yet as he pumped faster and faster into her to try to reach his climax. With her left hand, Em grabbed Jack's hard buttocks and squeezed them, and with her right, she brought Jack's face up to bring him into another passionate kiss. With a great shout of his own, Jack finally climaxed and brought Em screaming again as his seed thundered into her.

Jack slid off of Em and landed on her side, both covered in sweat and panting for breath. With the last of his strength, Jack wrapped his arms around Em and pulled her body into the crook of his, facing him. Em took one of his hands and held it tightly close to her heart. As she looked up into Jack's drowsy eyes, she felt her heart swell with all the love she had and ever could have for him. Inclining her head up, she met his lips softly in a sweet kiss before they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.


	26. A Sense of Foreboding

Em woke up the next early morning happier than she had ever felt in the last two years. She had great reason to be happy because as she slowly opened her dark brown eyes and tilted her head up, she saw Jack Sparrow's roguish sleeping face and felt her heart swell with love. She sighed softly and lifted her head. Looking at the bay windows behind her, she saw that she had woken up too early. So early, that it was still dark outside.

Yet finding the time perfect, Em slowly tried to shift out from under Jack's arm. Getting on her feet, Em picked up her white long-sleeved shirt and trousers and put them on. She turned around and padded barefoot towards the hammock where her duffel bag still lay. After retrieving her coat, Em turned around and looked down at Jack, a smile playing across her lips.

"I must have really tired you out last night," she joked softly to herself and suppressed the urge to chuckle. Em spotted the full bottle of rum on Jack's writing desk and walked over to it. Uncorking it, she took a deep drink, letting its contents and its effects wash over her. Then slinging her coat over one shoulder, Em quietly put her boots back on and walked out of the room.

The cold night air, that still had not given way to the rising morning sun, hit Em's face like a refreshing wave of ocean water. She threw back her head and breathed in deeply at the clean, salty air even as she closed the double doors behind her. The Black Pearl was silent as the grave, and would have been as still except for the occasional moments where it bobbed up and down because of the motion of the sea.

Em placed her coat over the nearest rope line before walking towards the port side of the ship. Picking up an unused coiled rope just laying on the ground, Em tied one end to a peg on the banister and threw the rope overboard. Flinging her hair back, Em climbed on the edge of the ship and dove down into the waters below.

* * *

Back in the Captain's Quarters, Jack Sparrow slowly turned onto his back and drowsily opened his eyes. After shaking off the effects of heavy sleep, a light grin appeared on Jack's lips as he remembered the night before.

Jack turned back on his side, and had expected to see Em sleeping right next to him. Yet to his surprise, she was not there. Jack quickly sat up and looked wildly around the room. He saw that her duffel bag was open on his hammock and that the bottle of rum was not only open but also nearly half full.

"Oh bugger," said Jack.

* * *

Em emerged from the icy ocean water and felt as if the very air had slapped her naked skin. But Em felt so alive just swimming in the ocean. No worries, no cares. There was no other home than her ship and the ocean around her.

Knowing that soon Mr. Drummond would wake from his position up in the crow's nest to wake up the rest of the crew, Em swam back towards the rope still dangling over the side. She made to grab it, but it quickly evaded her grasp. Em attempted to grab it again and again the rope was tugged up.

"What in the world?" Em muttered as she looked up. Staring right back at her was a pair of mischievous, mesmerizing eyes. "Jack, let go of the rope," she demanded.

Jack chuckled and tugged the rope out of her reach again when she attempted to take it. "It appears to me that I have found a _siren _in me ship's midst," he commented cheerfully and took a swig of rum with his other hand that held the rum bottle.

Em glared up at him. "Jack Sparrow! Give me the rope, or I swear-!"

"Swear you'll do what, love?" Jack taunted and leaned his upper body half over the side to see Em better. "You'll continue swimming there 'til ye call me captain, perhaps?" he joked. He saw her glare intensify and then shrugged. "Alrigh', if ye want to be a sour puss, fine by me." He let go of the rope and watched as Em began to slowly climb back to the top. He leaned forward and helped her over the banister.

Em pushed his hands away and scowled, "I don't need your help!"

Jack gave her a wry look. "Yes, just like ye didn't need me help back there when you were swimming in the ocean," he replied sarcastically. Jack saw her shivering from the cold gusts of wind and took her cloak that she had left dangling on one of the lines. He placed it around her body, and when he felt her try to pull away from him, he tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her into his warm body.

"Let go of me," Em told him stubbornly, refusing to look up at him.

Jack rolled his eyes, turned her around to face him, and forced her to look up at him. Before Em had time to react, Jack's lips were pressed upon hers. With instinct, Em kissed Jack back and wrapped her wet arms around his neck as their tongues began to caress each other's mouths.

"Damn you, Captain Jack Sparrow," she said softly as they pulled away minutes later. She leaned against him and placed her soaking head on his shoulder.

Jack smiled into her wet hair. "If I can beat death, Emelia, I can certainly beat yer anger and pride," he told her.

Late in the afternoon that same day, Em slowly walked down the winding wooden stairs that lead down deeper into the Pearl. She stopped at the fourth deck and waved towards Ozz and Cotton slaving in the hot kitchen before turning right and walked into the wine cellar. She stood at the doorway for a moment and let her eyes rove around the area as they played the scenes of last night vividly in her mind. Her dark brown eyes stopped at the far right corner of the room, and Em began to maneuver towards the empty crates piled in that corner. Stepping around them, she saw that Tim McIlrath was still where she and Jack had left him.

At the sounds of her soft, reverberating footsteps, Tim cracked his gaunt green eyes open and looked around until he focused his hollow orbs on Em. He opened his mouth, and in a croaky, dry voice said, "I was wonderin' if you'd let me die here."

Em glowered at him and placed her hands imperiously on her hips. "I rightly would if I could spare it," she snapped.

Tim's pale face cracked in a sly grin, a look that made him look almost proud and sinister at the same time. "I knew you'd still need me," he remarked casually.

Em took a couple of steps towards him and punched him hard across the jaw. "You keep up with that tone and I swear it that I _will_ kill you!" she hissed.

Tim looked back at her sullenly, the right side of his face red and raw. "Aye captain," he replied hollowly.

Em gave him a final glare before spinning quickly on her heel so that her long hair whipped him across the face. She looked at the stunned expression on his face over her shoulder. "You are now demoted to a mere, common pirate," she told him. "For now on, you'll be standing watch with Mr. Drummond up in the crow's nest."

Without another word, she left him still hanging.

As she emerged from the hatch, Em was suddenly taken up by a huge yawn-with good reason. She was still very tired from last night, and waking up as early as she had done this morning didn't exactly make her the livewire of the crew today. Em heard someone gasp near her and turned to the source to see Joshamee Gibbs staring at her with terror etched in every wrinkle of his face.

"What is it, Mr. Gibbs?" Em demanded.

Gibbs slowly shook his head. "Bad luck to yawn, captain," he told her warningly. "Means danger is near, lass."

As if he had invoked the bad omen itself, a powerful gust of wind suddenly blew around them and made the Pearl lurch precariously to the starboard side.

Em grabbed tightly onto the nearest rope line and watched as the crew on the main deck scattered like frightened doves to help Jack right the ship again. As she watched, feeling apart from this picture of chaotic terror, she acutely remembered Haggerd Meatle's prediction about the coming hurricane season. Em shivered with a foreboding feeling gripping her heart, but she calmed herself and began helping the crew with many plans in mind to start preparing for the big storm.

The next night was music night again. Every man on board was making merry even as some like Mr. Drummond and Gibbs watched over the progress of the ship as it sailed through the crashing ocean waves under half-moonlight.

Everyone was making merry - with the exception of Em Kraven who sat high up in the crow's nest with only a half-empty bottle of rum in hand. She heard the ropes of the net below her creak and strain under the weight of one of the men and looked over her shoulder in time to see Jack Sparrow's familiar tricorn hat rising from below the wood of the crow's nest. Making a split decision, Em snatched the leather hat away from its owner and plopped it on her head before turning her attention back to the scenery in front of her.

Jack scowled darkly as he lifted himself onto the crow's nest and settled next to Em. He tried to glare a hole into the side of her head, but when he saw the bottle of rum in her hand, he decided another tactic and grabbed it from her. His dark eyes danced as she turned to him with a scowl of her own as he drank deep from her rum.

"Why aren't you down below with the others?" Em asked him when he had finished the rest of her rum.

Jack suppressed the urge to burp and replied snappily, "I could say the same thing, love." Putting the empty glass bottle down behind him, he snatched his hat back and placed it smartly on his head. Slinging an arm intimately around Em's shoulders, he leaned forward and asked her what the matter was.

Em's delicate features twisted in what Jack knew were a fake look of confusion. "Whatever do you mean, Captain Sparrow?" she asked innocently.

Jack rolled his eyes and saw the fleeting look of amusement on Em's face. "First off, love, if yer gonna fake innocence, do a better job"-Em made a snorting noise but Jack continued-"and second, as much as I positively love it when ye call me captain, I know for a fact that you never use it except if it would help ye get me to leave ye alone. Savvy?"

Em rolled her eyes and graced him with a small smile. "Damn you, Jack Sparrow," she said. "Sticks and stones, darling," Jack replied and grinned, but then his features turned somber and he fixed her a more serious look. "Emelia, I noticed that ye've been acting a wee bit strange since yesterday afternoon. What's wrong?" he asked her.

Em's smile dropped and she looked away from him. Lifting her left hand, she gestured down at their merry men down below. "Look at them. They look so carefree at the moment." Em shook her head slowly. "Jack, I feel that this is merely the calm before the storm."


	27. Into the Eye of the Storm

The next day dawned dark and ominous on the crew of the Black Pearl. Heavy storm clouds hovered over the Caribbean skies, bringing a chill that not even the most passionate kiss could drive away. It was the kind of chill that not only struck to the bone, but also pierced the heart.

"The storm's coming soon," Em murmured under her breath as she tried to tame her long, wild hair. The winds were blowing harder and harder at every passing hour. Though it did not look like it, it was around noon. "Bloody hair," she hissed. Em stood on the helm besides Jack, who was manning the great steering wheel.

Jack Sparrow inconspicuously glanced at her from the corner of his kohl-rimmed eyes. "Tie it up or leave it lie, love," he told her.

Em huffed at him, but when her eyes landed on his tricorn hat, her eyes gleamed.

"Bloody hell, woman!" Jack grumbled as he turned his head towards Em, who looked up with him with a smirk on her face and his hat on her head. She had tucked her long hair under his hat.

"I said _tie _it up, not pile it up and use me hat!" he complained.

Em opened her mouth, but both Jack and Em heard a commotion rising up from the main deck and quickly turned their attentions towards it.

Jack told Em to watch the steering wheel before walking towards the tops of the stairs on the left. "What's going on down there, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack demanded.

The portly, middle-aged man spun around with a frantic, red look across his bearded face. "Death! Death is coming!" he shouted, near to hysterics.

"What is he talking about now?" Jack heard Em mutter darkly beside him. "Enlighten me, Mr. Gibbs," Jack ordered, pointedly ignoring Em. Joshamee Gibbs pointed up towards the mizzen mast at the bow of the ship, and when Jack looked up, he saw three seagulls fly overhead the Pearl's sails.

"It's a black omen, Jack," Gibbs said fervently. "Seagulls flying ov'rhead is an omen of death approachin'!"

Jack looked back at his first mate and opened his mouth to comment on the birds when he heard shouting from up in the crow's nest.

Em cupped a hand around her mouth and hollered, "What it is, Mr. Drummond? What do you see?"

High up the center mast, the old sea dog pointed towards the direction in front of their ship with a shaking finger, "Thar be a storm! The Pearl is headed for a huge storm, cap'n!" he yelled.

"Bugger!" Jack yelped as he looked through his telescope at the looming dark clouds up ahead of the Pearl. Mr. Drummond was right, they were heading straight into it, and it was too late already to turn around. Jack quickly stashed his telescope in his coat and flew towards the steering wheel. "Prepare the men, Emelia!" he ordered her as he once again manned the wheel. "All men on deck, Mr. Gibbs!"

Gibbs crossed himself twice before running towards the hatch that lead down below.

Em wasted no time and leaped over the banister, landing heavily right in front of Jack's Quarter's doors on the main deck. "All men on deck!" she commanded. "I want all men on deck!" She began to quickly order the men already there. "Heave to, sailors! Secure the rigging! Hoist the sails! We've already prepared and anticipated this storm!" She felt the wind pick up, becoming more violent by the second. She watched as Chase emerged from the hatch and was nearly blown off the ship if it had not been for Briggen's quick hands.

They have now entered the storm, and many were holding on for dear life, even Em herself. Rain began to hammer down their bodies, and in no time at all, they were all soaking wet and freezing. She looked up towards the crow's nest and only saw the white knuckles that belonged Mr. Drummond and grew afraid for him. "Mr. Drummond! Get out of there man!" she shouted above the whistling wind and the pounding of the rain as best as she could. She watched the old man slowly climb down the mast until he was safely on the deck before he disappeared among the frantic men.

Em turned her head towards the bow, and her eyes widened at the sight she beheld. The hurricane that Haggerd Meatle had predicted was in front of them, half a mile away. It looked small now, but Em knew it was quickly approaching. Em spun around and craned her neck so that she spotted Jack's head above the banister. "Jack!" she called.

"What is it?" he called down to her.

"What are we going to do?" she demanded.

"Why, to the eye of the storm, o' course!" he yelled and pointed ahead of him.

Em's eyes widened as she fully realized what he was going to do. He was planning on driving the Pearl straight into the heart of the storm! She looked towards the hatch and spotted Tim emerging. Putting past difficulties aside, she ran towards him. "Gangway, gangway!" she shouted, pushing men aside. "Tim!"

Tim McIlrath spun around and caught his captain by the shoulders else she would have run into him. "Aye, captain?" he asked quickly.

"Tim, I want you to take any available rope that we have and give every man a lifeline. Then, I want you to secure _all_ lifelines. Is that clear?" she told him.

Tim nodded quickly. He made to move away, but then paused a moment and turned back to Em. "Be safe, Emelia," he told her seriously.

Em's brow creased, but she said nothing as she watched him hurry away. It wasn't until there was a cry from the bow of the ship that Em regained her senses. She found two extra coils of rope near to the row boats. First, she tied one end of the ropes around her waist before tying the other end of that one to the center mast. With the other piece of rope she had, she tied one end to the mast before moving hurriedly towards the poop deck.

"Jack!" she yelled over the wind. Without waiting for an answer, she quickly approached Jack Sparrow and tied the other piece of rope tightly around his waist.

"Thank you, love!" he hollered and grinned.

Tim watched this small scene with deep green eyes even as his hands quickly worked as securing everyone's lifelines to the masts. The hurricane was nearly on top of them now. It was only a matter of minutes before they reached the first outer reaches of the storm. Securing everyone's line at the mizzen mast, he ran towards the center mast and quickly rifled through the different knots until he found the one that tied Jack Sparrow's lifeline to the mast. Finding it, he loosened it so that it slid up and down freely on the peg that it was tied to. With a gleam in his eyes, Tim ushered the rest of the men that had not been able to be given a lifeline down below where Mr. Gibbs dubbed was "safest than above."

Em stepped forward until she was standing at the banister, gripping onto the rough wood tight until her knuckles were white and her hands were aching as she stared hard at the approaching hurricane. Her heart thundered heavily in her chest.

"No worries, Emelia!" Jack shouted as he turned the wheel sharply to the right and then to the left, but even he felt anything but peaceful at the moment.

The hurricane was now upon them. Everyone on deck grabbed tight onto something secure as the Pearl entered into the outer regions of the hurricane. Tears fell from their eyes, but never reached their faces. Eyes closed as the intensity of the wind; for it was too powerful for the human eyes to keep awake else it would no longer see. Their sense of hearing was filled with a constant whirling, constant chaotic sound that only Hell could bring. Many of the men on the Pearl trembled and screamed their prayers to their God, for many of them believed that they were entering Hell itself.

There was one loud scream, the loudest of them all, and the most horrible. For those who had the courage to open their eyes, they saw one of their hapless crew members' lifeline had snapped, and that man was now hanging onto one of the lifeboats for dear life.

Emelia Kraven herself watched as a horrified observer as the poor soul and the row boat were both lifted from the deck and were gone amongst the winds. Around that same time, Em faintly heard Jack's shout of triumph as he was the only one who saw that the bow had just exited the outer regions of the hurricane and had entered the eye of the storm. They were saved.

Em laughed joyously as they began to enter the eye. She turned her head about towards Jack, and then screamed in alarm. It was too late. One of the oars that had accompanied the lost sailor and rowboat haphazardly flew out of nowhere and struck Jack cruelly across his chest. Em watched with frozen eyes as time also seemed to slow down on the scene. She watched as, surprised from the sudden impact, Jack fly off to the side, letting go of the wheel. The Pearl jolted precariously towards the right, sending many of the men rolling in that direction. Thankfully for them, their lifelines held them from falling off the ship. They were all relatively safe. Except for Jack Sparrow.

"No! Jack!" Em screamed as she watched him stumble back and fall overboard with another lurch from the ship. For a moment, his taut lifeline seemed to have saved him, but the moment passed quickly and the line was going after Jack Sparrow over the edge and into the churning water below.


	28. All's NOT Fair in Love and War

"MAN OVERBOARD!!" Gibbs cried as he rushed towards the port side of the ship as fast as he could. Many of the men followed right after him.

Michael appeared instantly at the top of the stairs with wild blue eyes. He saw that his captain was in a state of shock and quickly ran up to her. He took her roughly by the shoulders, and then slapped her soundly across the face. "Have you taken leave of your senses, Emelia?!" he shouted above the wind. "Jack's in trouble!"

Em shook her head and pushed Michael away. Without so much as a glance at him, she ran towards the stairs. "Someone, go save him quickly!" she yelled. She jumped the last of the steps and pushed her way towards the side of the ship were nearly everyone was gathered. She held back her tears as she surveyed the red bandana that Jack always wore around his head bobbing up and down among the churning waves. It was the only thing of him that she could plainly see.

A commotion among the men behind her drew her attention, and she spun around to be the witness of the peculiar scene.

Chase Turnbull and Briggen seemed to be arguing with old Mr. Drummond as the latter began to throw off his heavy boots and weaponry at their feet. Yet at the moment, Vincent Drummond did not act like an old sea dog as he powerfully pushed Briggen off to the side, sending the younger man sprawling on the deck. As quickly as if he were living in his prime, he strode towards the edge of the ship and climbed up onto the wide railing.

"Blessed Mary, he's going to try to save Jack!" Gibbs muttered feverishly under his breath. Taking out his small leather flask from the inside of his vest, he drank deeply from it until every last drop was gone. He and everyone else watched Mr. Drummond secure the lifeline around his middle.

"NOOOO!" Em yelled, but it was too late to order Mr. Drummond to cease and get off the railing. Em's eyes widened as she watched her old caretaker and lookout dive smoothly into the dark waters below.

As everyone's attention was directed at the drama unfolding in front of their eyes, Tim McIlrath, the main source of all this chaos, quietly slipped to the back of the crowd and walked slowly towards the hatch leading down to the lower decks. Stopping at the top step, he looked over his shoulder once at Em, seeing that beautiful face wrought with concern and fear hidden amidst the silk of her hair.

The crashing waves that broke over Mr. Drummond made him feel like a young sailor again, and not an old man who was nearing his final moments. With a deep gulp of air, he dove back underwater and began to swim as fast as he could to the last place where he had spotted Jack Sparrow. It was difficult since the water was churning from the hurricane that still surrounded them, but Mr. Drummond finally reached Jack.

"Are you alrigh', Jack?" he shouted breathlessly above the roar of the wind.

The red bandana bobbed up and down vigorously. It was nearly covering Jack's eyes.

"Take off yer coat, else ye'd be weighing yerself down!" Mr. Drummond shouted. Without further ado, he quickly untied the line around his waist and handed it to Jack, who took it and tugged on it a few times.

Em felt the rope in her cold, stiff hands tug a bit and shouted over her shoulder, "He's got him! Hall 'em back in, men!"

"HEAVE TO!" Gibbs shouted at the head of the men that also held the rope. As one, they all began to pull.

Jack instantly felt the rope pull him in and quickly grabbed Mr. Drummond's wide leather belt around the waist with his free hand. "Thanks mate," Jack told Mr. Drummond humbly as they slowly were dragged back to the Pearl. Behind them, Jack's heavy coat slowly sank underneath the waves.

Mr. Drummond gave Jack a crooked yellow smile under his white beard. "I know that milady would'a been very sore if ye'd been lost at sea, cap'n," he told the younger man. Suddenly, as if his real age had finally caught up with him, Mr. Drummond was caught up with a terrible hacking cough that made him let go of the grip he had had around Jack's shoulders.

"Easy!" Jack yelled, but his voice was barely audible as the wind began to howl with much more intensity. Then, Jack alarmingly felt his grip on Mr. Drummond's belt slip, and the current beneath them began to pull them back towards the worse part of the hurricane.

"Whoa!" the majority of the men pulling the rope cried as they felt that they were suddenly pulled forward.

"They're being pulled back into the storm, captain!" Chase Turnbull shouted behind Gibbs as he and the others began to struggle harder to return their crew member and other captain safely back to the ship.

Em gripped the wooden railing so hard that her knuckles were turning white and she was almost making nail marks on the wood. Her heart thudded so hard in her chest that she was afraid it'd burst. _Please be alright_, she prayed silently as a tear of frustration slipped down the corner of her eye. She had lost sight of them a while ago, and now prayed that they were all right.

Mr. Drummond's leather belt slipped out from underneath Jack's cold, slippery fingers. For a moment, the old sailor was close to being taken away, to be sucked back into the whirling gates of Hell. But at the last moment, Jack lunged forward and grabbed Mr. Drummond tightly by his thin wrist. However, both knew that Jack's grip wouldn't last, and even now, Mr. Drummond was slipping away from him again. To make matters worse, Jack's other grip on the rope was slowly slipping as well.

"I won't make it," the old sea dog yelled over the storm.

Jack's dark eyes gleamed determinedly. "Yes we _will_ make it!" he shouted stubbornly. "Now belay that talk!" he commanded.

Mr. Drummond's yellowing eyes, once having been hazel in his youthful days, looked at the younger man with pity and sadness that was etched all over his tired, sea-worn face. "I din't say we won't make it, Jack," he told him. "I said _I_ won't make it!" Mr. Drummond managed a small, sad smile at the surprised look that had appeared across Jack's face. All the while, he was slowly wheedling his arm out of Jack's grip. "Tell Emelia that I'll be watching o'er her with her brother," Mr. Drummond said before he fully slipped out from Jack's grip.

That was the last Jack saw of him, with that sad smile the old sea dog wore before the winds took him away and he was lost to Davy Jones.

Jack slowly closed the empty hand tight that had moments before been holding onto Mr. Drummond and let the rope take him back to the ship with a heavy heart. He was faintly aware of being hauled back on board, still in a daze, which was only broken by Em demanding to know where Mr. Drummond was. Jack slowly got to his feet, letting the rope drop on the floor with a heavy thud as he turned to Em.

"Jack, where is Mr. Drummond?" Em demanded again and placed her hands on her waist. Everyone on deck crowded around them.

Jack swallowed down the hard lump that had formed in his throat and opened his mouth, but not even a sound came out. He snapped his mouth close and tried to say something again, yet still hadn't even achieved saying a word.

Em tossed her long hair over her shoulders and took a step closer to him with an impatient look on her face. "Jack, spit it out already," she told him. Her heart had renewed its quick pace at no sign of her beloved old sea dog.

For a moment, Jack's dark eyes scanned the faces over Em's shoulder until he locked eyes with a familiar pair of sky blue orbs.

In that second, Michael Turnbull knew what had become of the old sea dog Mr. Drummond. He pushed forward until he broke out from the pack and was standing next to his childhood best friend, trembling from head to foot. "Emelia," Michael began, but was interrupted when Jack loudly cleared his throat, drawing attention back to him.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Em demanded with growing fear in her heart.

Jack stepped forward and gently grabbed her shoulders. "Love, Mr. Drummond is gone," he said softly, regretfully.

The reality of his words was slow to touch Em's heart, but when it did, it pierced Em's heart to its core. Yet, she did not scream, she did not cry, nor did she do anything else that any normal woman would have done had they been in her place. That was because Em was different than any normal woman. Instead, she woodenly stepped away from Jack and addressed the men on deck, many of whom crossed themselves immediately. The only way that the men knew that she was really crushed by this loss was the halting pauses that she took as she began to speak slowly and mournfully.

"Mr. Vincent Drummond," she began, watching as the men took off their hats out of respect, "was the most courageous of men out of all of us. He is-was" she quickly corrected herself and swallowed the bitter lump forming in her throat "was most lucky that he had lived up to his . . . r-ripe old age." Em bit her bottom lip hard and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath and continued. "H-He was not only a pirate, but also an honorable sailor that many of us, even I, have always strove to be." Em hung her head low for a moment before snapping it back up. The cold look she now wore across her face chilled every man there to the bone. "It is my _only_ regret that he will never get to see this journey end with us," she finished.

Her dark eyes scanned the men on deck for a moment, before she straightened her posture to her full height and clenched her fists to her sides. "I want Tim McIlrath found this instant and brought back on deck!" she roared suddenly with such intensity that many of the men jumped back in alarm. Yet her command was followed even by Jack's crew and everyone was searching for Tim.

In the ensuing chaos, Jack told Michael to get back at the poop deck and man the wheel before walking towards Em. He grabbed her arm and said, "Love, wait a moment!"

Em spun around and pierced Jack with a cold look. "What is it?" she demanded furiously. Rage was building up inside of her fast.

"What does McIlrath have to do with this?" Jack asked, although he had a faint idea what.

"That despicable traitor is the cause of all of this!" Em screamed. She wrenched herself away from Jack and made her way towards the hatch leading down to the lower decks.

As she arrived on the second deck where the crew's quarters were located, she heard a large commotion near the end of one side of the deck, and saw that most of the men were gathered there. Em roughly pushed her way through the men, unhooking her pistol from her belt as she went. When she broke free, she saw Tim McIlrath holding up a pistol threateningly at Ozz, back placed firmly on the wall. Without thinking, Em raised her pistol and fired it straight at Tim's gun hand.

More out of shock than actual pain, Tim dropped the firearm, and before he could fully register what was happening, someone hit him hard over the head, knocking him instantly unconscious.  
Em stepped away from Tim's limp body and turned to the men with blazing eyes. "Lock this mangy double-crossing curr in the brig, and then I want all hands on deck!" she commanded harshly. "We are not out of this storm yet!"


	29. Punishment and Revenge

The Pearl and her crew had yet to leave the eye of the hurricane, which was as calm as the hurricane itself was like a tumultuous volcano. The crew had already suffered two losses just to get to where they were now, and no one wanted another good soul to be lost to Davy Jones. Up on the top deck, Jack directed a thorough preparation for their final crossing through the storm.

"Mr. Cotton, secure all the bloody lifelines correctly or it's yer guts I'll be feedin' to the fishes!" Jack shouted at the mute sailor from his place at the helm of the ship. He held the great wooden wheel with one hand, and the other held out his open magical compass. Jack clenched his teeth and fixed his dark eyes on the moving arrow. "C'mon darling, show ol' Jack the way outta this godforsaken hell hole," he swore under his breath.

He looked up for a moment, and the first thing he spotted was Emelia Kraven emerging from the hatch. His dark-rimmed eyes followed her figure as she heavily strode towards his Captain's Quarters and disappeared underneath the helm behind its double doors.

Jack snapped his compass shut and let it fall to his side before turning towards Joshamee Gibbs. "Mr. Gibbs, man the wheel and keep a sharp eye on the men. I have certain business to attend to," Jack ordered the portly man sternly. Without another word, he quickly made for the stairs.

When he quietly entered his quarters, he found Em hunched over his writing desk with her back facing him and her hands placed flat on top of the map that they had chartered together. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but it was as if she had been anticipating his arrival as she placed a hand up to silence him.

"Leave me be, Jack," she warned him darkly, like a bad omen. She still had not turned around to face him.

Jack warily took a couple of steps towards her and held his hands out. "I'm sorry love, but you don't have the authority to order me out o' me _own_ cabin," he told her.

Em pushed herself off of his writing desk and spun around with a spark of anger in her eyes. "Why can't you just leave me be?" she yelled at him. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and blinked them furiously back. In her building blind rage, Em took out her pistol and placed the tip of the firearm at the base of Jack's neck. She stepped up closer towards him until there was less than a foot left of space in between them. "Just leave me _alone_ Jack Sparrow," she whispered brokenly. In such closer range, Em could see that the black kohl Jack usually wore around his eyes had all but been washed away from the time he had spent in the water. Jack was still dripping wet to some degree, and he looked chilled to the bone with the absence of his coat. Feeling a touch of warmth seep into her cold heart, Em reached behind her towards the writing desk and when she turned back to Jack, in her free hand she held his tricorn hat.

Jack smiled toothily as he greedily snatched his beloved hat and placed it on his head. "Thank-y darling," he told her gratefully. He felt her remove her pistol from his neck and breathed a bit easier. Then, his smile was gone as he remembered the main reason why he had literally risked his neck to bother her, especially at this painful time in her mourning. Jack placed both of his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her sad eyes, inwardly bracing himself for what was to come after he was done.

Em slowly tilted her head up to meet Jack's gaze, which now held an expression like that of a messenger boy who has terrible news to deliver. Out of habit, she placed one hand on his broad chest. The other reached up and held his left wrist tightly. She could feel the "P" brand under her fingers. "What do you want to tell me?" she whispered.

Jack took a deep breath, and then plunged head first. "Mr. Drummond"-he paused here out of respect-"wanted me to tell you something." Jack fumbled a bit here since he wasn't used to doing things like these. _Especially_ things like these. "Well Emelia . . ." He nervously licked his lips. "Uh, he wanted me to tell you that, that he was gonna be watching o'er you with yer brother."

Jack winced, waiting for the water works to begin, but after a moment or two had passed and he had not even heard a whimper from Em, he opened his eyes again and looked at her with concern. "Love?" He looked at her closely and saw that she was in a daze. Jack shook her a bit. "Emelia, snap outta it, girl!" he said sternly. "Emel-Whoa there!" he yelped as he barely caught Em from sinking to the floor at his feet. Then in his arms, Em laid her head on his chest and began to sob as if her heart was breaking; and indeed, it was.

"I should have never let him go!" she sobbed into Jack's chest. "I should have ordered that bloody traitor McIlrath to risk and lose _his_ life instead!"

Jack pulled Em back to her feet, but kept his arms tight around her. He felt her hands slide in between their bodies to hide her face, that mask of sorrow. With one tight hold with one arm around her waist to keep her from slipping down again, his other hand slowly and a bit awkwardly rubbed a small of her back. "Love, listen to me," Jack said. "Shhh, cease yer tears Emelia." He gave her a stern look as soon as her tears were merely down to trickles. "An' I wouldn't say things about wantin' McIlrath to have saved me instead. He might even have tried to finish me off," he said the last part half jokingly.

Em looked up at him with a sad, watery smile. Yet behind that smile, Jack could still sense the world of suffering that she had found herself in. "I'm terribly sorry, Jack," she apologized softly and sniffed.

Jack gave her a crooked smile. "Apology accepted, darling." Jack let go of Em, but took hold of one of her hands. He motioned with his other hand towards the double doors, and with a gruff tone said, "Let's get the Pearl outta this storm, shall we?"

Hours later, the top deck of the Pearl was as silent as the grave. Even Cotton's parrot, which was perched on its master's shoulder, seemed to understand the need of this silence. All hands were on deck to witness the condemnation of Timmothy McIlrath in front of his peers. The culprit stood in front of the helm with dull green eyes, waiting for his captain to tell him his death sentence. Yet neither his death, nor a thousand others, could ever compensate for the death of Vincent Drummond.

Behind the two captains, who both somberly stood at the wheel, the storm was slowly growing smaller and smaller as the Pearl carried herself and her crew away from it.

The silence thickened as Em raised her head up high and walked up to the balcony of the helm. She looked down at Tim McIlrath and fixed upon him a stony look.

"The charges against you, Timmothy McIlrath," she began coldly, "are as followed: for you deliberate and _failed_ attempt to cast out co-Captain Jack Sparrow; for your treachery of deliberate neglect of my order to secure _all _lifelines; and for the unfortunate death of Vincent Drummond, whose honorable attempt to save said pirate had cost him his own life because of your treacherous plot, by the authority having been invested in me by your peers, I order you to kiss the gunner's daughter for the maximum of fifty lashes by the cat o' nine tails to your bare back."

At her signal, two burly men broke apart from the congregation. Under the heavy blanket of silence, the two men roughly grabbed Tim McIlrath by the arms, and without meeting any resistance, they dragged him over to one of the tied cannons on the port side of the deck.

Em slowly walked to the left side until she stood at the top of the stairs. She watched with cold, unemotional eyes as Tim McIlrath was bent over the cannon and held down by the arms. Then, the men tore his cotton shirt so that his bare back was exposed for all to see. Behind her, Jack Sparrow gave him first mate a nod, and Joshamee Gibbs walked heavily past Em and down the stairs. In his right hand, he tightly held the cat o' nine tails, a long whip with nine, thick leather lashes. With a grim look on his bearded face, Gibbs raised the cat o' nine tails high in the air and brought it down harshly across Tim's back. Bright red blood oozed and dripped through the long, fresh cut as Gibbs lifted the whip back up for another stinging blow. Many watched on with as equally grim looks as Gibbs while the more squeamish men closed their eyes or turned their heads away.

Em herself remained impassive, her delicate features showing no emotion as if they had been chiseled from cold marble stone. She numbly watched Tim receive blow after blow after blow.

The first ten or so, he kept good from so much as whimpering from the torturous pain being inflicted upon him, but near the last couple lashes, he was yelling for mercy and release from the punishment with tears cascading down either side of his red face even as the large amount of blood on his mangled back gushed and washed the ground around him with its foul stench. In the end, before the final blow was made, he passed out from the pain and blood loss.

Nobody but the two pirates holding Tim and Gibbs moved so much as an inch as the aforementioned three moved away from the unconscious body, letting it drop in a heap on the cold wooden floor.

Suddenly the silence was shattered by loud, hallow thumps coming from up in the helm. Many of the men quickly turned to the source of the noise, who still stood next to the steering wheel. Jack lifted his right boot up high again and brought it down on the wooden floor with another loud _thump_.

As the eerie sound echoed in the air, the two doors that led to Jack's cabin swung open. Out walked Briggen and Ozz, the latter looking particularly green around the gills. In between them, they carried a large wooden chest that was as big as half the size of a coffin. Indeed, it would become Tim McIlrath's coffin.

Briggen and Ozz carefully placed the chest in front of Gibbs before hiding amongst the other crew members. Gibbs turned his head to the two burly pirates and nodded towards Tim, who was now just starting to come around. Gibbs also silently gestured to them to "make it snappy". The two men quickly walked over to Tim and grabbed him by both the arms and legs.

Tim cracked his eyes open half-way at the contact, but they soon widened in fright as he spotted the open chest that he was being carried to. But before he could open his mouth to even yell, he was thrown into the chest, and the lid was closed with a snap, muffling his frantic screams. He heard the click of the lock and began to claw blindly at the dark confines of the chest, screaming for mercy and release. He heard Em's muffled voice somewhere outside his prison.

Still standing at the top of the stairs, Em watched with grim satisfaction as the two men pushed and pulled the chest over to the edge of the ship. As they started to lift the heavy burden up onto the railing, Em swiftly walked down the steps, all eyes transfixed upon her. She pushed the two men away, lifted her left boot high in the air, and pushed the chest overboard. As soon as the chest disappeared from her sight, Em turned around and looked up at the helm where she locked eyes with Jack.

"Let's get out of here," she said coldly.

* * *

Tim felt himself falling . . . falling, until he knew he had hit the ocean water when a massive jolt caused his head to hit the side of the chest. He slipped in and out of consciousness even as the chest sunk deeper and deeper into the sea. In his delusional state of mind, Tim imagined that the ocean currents roaring around him were actually the noises of the tormented spirits in Hell on their final Judgment. Tim thought that if there was a way to escape this Hell, he'd take it unquestioningly.

Then, when he was near to blacking out again, the chest jolted again, but this time to what seemed like a stop. Tim felt as if he were being lifted and so did his spirits. He had been miraculously saved! He closed his eyes, but his ears were still tuned into the sounds all around him. He heard many voices surrounding his prison. Coming from his right, he heard dull thuds, and a high-pitched voice that accompanied them. The next moment, he heard the sound of a gunshot before the lid was thrown open.

Before he could get his bearings, two pairs of clammy, wet hands with vice-like grips grabbed his arms roughly and practically threw him out of his cramped coffin. Those same pairs of hands hauled him to his feet and ice cold water was dumped over his bruised, bloodied, and aching body. The corners of Tim's nose twitched as the horrid smell of rotten fish reached his senses so that he was forced to open his eyes. What he saw in front of him stuck fear into his chilled heart.

He stared up at Davy Jones himself, with his cursed, crustaceous crew flanking the master of the sea from behind. Tim began to tremble violently as Davy Jones, whose entire head resembled that of an octopus, slowly knelt down and stuck his bubbly head close to Tim's pale face.

Davy Jones opened his mouth and began to speak with clear disdain mixed with raw power in his tone, "Do you fear death, boy? Do you fear that dark abyss which we have pulled you from? All your deeds laid bare?" The terrifying captain stood back up. Out from his front coat pocket, he took out a small wooden smoke pipe and placed it in his left hand, which like his head was also no longer human; it was a very large crab claw. With his right hand that still had attained its human form, he lit his pipe and sucked deeply the burning tobacco. The claw took out the pipe from his mouth and he deliberately blew the smoke into Tim's face. Davy Jones leaned down and whispered softly, "All your _sins _punished? I can offer you an escape." For a second time, he stood up straight again and gestured with his human hand towards his silent crew. His voice boomed over them all. "Join my crew, and postpone your judgment. One hundred years before the mast! Will ye serve?"

By this time, Tim had wriggled free of the two pairs of hands that had held him up, and was barely holding himself upright. Yet as he stared bravely into Davy Jones' cruel bottomless eyes, he had already made his decision. "I will," he said strongly, despite his frail appearance. "But on one condition," he added quickly.

A small murmur erupted within the cursed pirates, which was only silenced effectively by the deep black look that their captain threw at them. Davy Jones turned back to his new sailor-to-be with a smirk across his sickly yellowish skin. "And what is that condition, boy?" he thundered.

Tim's posture seemed to straighten up even more. He clenched his fists. "That I speak to someone for the last time," he said, with a hint of pain and anger behind his words.

Davy Jones' smirk grew tighter and slyer. "Ahh, a _woman_, eh?" he leered, earning a round of crusty laughter from his crew.

Tim nodded. "Aye, a woman by the name of Emelia Kraven." This earned renewed silence, for the name of the infamous female pirate was well known among them. "The _woman_ of Jack Sparrow." Just as he had planned, his words had taken a definite effect on the cursed captain because even Tim McIlrath had heard all the tales that surrounded this master of the sea, that Davy Jones had once loved a lass who was just like the sea.

Davy Jones hissed because of not only was the condition about a woman, but he also hissed because of the loathing that the name Jack Sparrow had generated. "So ye be wanting to say goodbye to this wench?" he sneered down at Tim.

Tim smirked coldly. "No, I just want to slit her throat so that no other man ever has her."


	30. We're Not Alone

Emelia Kraven stood in front of the Captain Quarter's wide bay windows, watching silently as the Pearl sailed on, leaving behind the setting sun. The center window was open just a crack, but it was enough to let in small ocean breezes into the normally warm and stuffy cabin. Em sighed softly as another small gust of salty wind brushed past her, stirring up her hair gently. It had been two days since the storm; that horrible day she would always remember for the rest of her life, along with another day long ago that she already kept branded in the back of her mind.

She felt her thoughts drifting to the last story Mr. Drummond had told her as a child.

After having bothered Vincent Drummond for nearly a week, he had finally caved in to ten-year old Emelia Kraven's pleads to tell her one last story before she became too big to listen to them anymore. He had painted a wonderful and thrilling tale of a mermaid fell in love with a sailor. At one point in time, she saved him after his boat had accidentally hit a coral reef where it sank.

The mermaid had two painful decisions to make shortly after rescuing him: to either give up her immortality and the love of her home the sea for the man she loved, or give up the love she had for him to keep her immortality and the only home she knew and loved dearly. With a heavy heart, yet without any regrets, the mermaid chose the sailor. It is said that mermaids do not cry, but as this mermaid's tail began to slowly change into human legs, she shed one tear that turned into a glass orb. This became known as the Mermaid's Tear, a priceless treasure that when looked into, the beholder could see the sea within the orb.

Em smiled softly at her hazy reflection on the window pane. She was so lost in her memories that she didn't hear two pairs of boots enter into the room. She felt a warm, heavy hand on her shoulder, thus jolting her back to reality. Em turned around and came face to face with Jack Sparrow, who smiled widely down at her.

"'Ello luv, daydreaming 'bout me, eh?"

Em had to smirk at this and pushed off Jack's hand off her shoulder. "Don't flatter yourself, Jack. You'll only be making your head bigger than it already is," she told him saucily. From behind them, she heard a hearty masculine chuckle and turned around to face Jack's first mate. "Ahoy there, Mr. Gibbs," she greeted him with a grin. She could feel, as much as Gibbs could plainly see, Jack giving her a 'you'll pay for that later' look. But deciding to ignore him, Em stood behind Jack's writing desk and surveyed Gibbs with an authoritative eye. "What is the status report on the Pearl, Mr. Gibbs?" she asked him. She felt Jack come to stand next to her, and could practically feel his irritation radiating off of him at her taking over a duty which he rightfully belonged to him without his permission. _Zealous git_, she thought.

Gibbs ran a grubby hand over his slicked back hair thoughtfully. "From what the boys tell me, miss, there be a leak down in the brig," he told her.

Jack cleared his throat loudly so that attention was drawn to him. He gestured to Gibbs. "Well now, you'll just have to fix that else we'll be head over heels with water," he said almost boredly. "Anythin' else?"

Gibbs nodded. "Her sails are all worn and full of holes from the storm. I say we need to find a place to berth soon so we can fix up ever'thing before we continue on further, cap'ns," he added. He took out his small leather flask from the inside of his cotton vest, uncorked it, and took a swift drink.

Seeing this, Jack immediately thought about their most valuable commodity on the ship. "And how are we on supplies?" he demanded. Beside him, Em slightly rolled her eyes and smirked at the tint of desperation she heard in Jack's tone. She loved rum as much as any other pirates, but then again, Jack wasn't just any other pirate.

Gibbs jumped and almost dropped his flask. However, he looked at his captain with a grave look across his bearded face. "We're very low on rum and other fresh foo-" But the first part about the rum was all Jack wanted to hear as he quickly whipped out his compass and flicked it open, staring intensely at the moving arrow.

Gibbs stepped up closer curiously. "'Ey, ye have a heading on our next destination, Jack?" he asked.

Raising a finger, Jack placed it on a spot on the map lying on his writing desk. Em and Gibbs leaned over the map and saw that Jack was pointing to a very small piece of island that was a little off route to the one they were on right now.

"Rum Cay!" he exclaimed with a grin. He looked down at the map also and snapped his compass shut.

Gibbs nodded and began to turn around. He knew that island as well as anyone in the room. "I'll be tellin' the boys, then," he said over his shoulder and left the two captains to their work.

Em looked up at Jack, who was still staring intently at the map. "You do know that there might not be a chance that there is anymore rum in the hidden caches or fallen ships on the island," she pointed out. "They might have already been cleaned out by others like us by now."

"But we can only hope," Jack murmured as he slowly rubbed his chin in thought.

Em stood back straight and began to walk towards the double doors, saying as she went, "Well, I'll leave you to plan it all. I need a spot of air, _love_." She felt Jack's surprised gaze on her back and smiled softly from the effect she had on him and from the cold sea breezes that blew over her as she stepped out of his cabin. Em closed the door behind her and looked around. The sky above was a deep velvety blue and stars began to appear here and there like diamonds. There were not many men lingering about on deck because it was near to supper. Em walked around, greeting men here and there as she passed. As she walked past the center mast, she looked up at the crow's nest and saw Chase Turnbull sitting at the edge with his long legs dangling in the air. Em cupped her hands around her mouth and called for him.

Chase heard someone from below calling him down and saw that it was Captain Em. He noticed how lost and sad she looked right now as the half-moon began to appear from behind the clouds. He nodded to her and began to climb down, jumping off the last few feet. He fixed his hawk-like hazel eyes on her. "Aye, cap'n?" he asked.

Em did her best to smile at him, but what she was about to do was a bit painful to her. She thought about how Mr. Drummond had always wanted Chase Turnbull in particular to succeed him in the duty of look out if ever his old eyes could not do the job anymore because of Chase's talent for spotting things that people couldn't or were slow to see. Em bit her bottom lip to keep from crying right then and there.

"'Ey, Em?"

Em shook her head and took a deep breath before looking Chase straight in the eye. Chase felt the authoritative aura now pervading his captain and stood up a little straighter. "Chase, it was Mr. Drummond's hope for you that if he could no longer"-she paused here for a moment but continued-"could no longer perform his duty as look out that the task should pass on to you."

Chase looked taken aback for a moment, but then smiled his broad handsome smile. "Aye, I'm grateful for this position unless I end up freezin' me arse up there at night," he joked. "Then I'll be havin' to blame you on that, eh?"

Em chuckled. "Well then take a bottle of rum, but don't do that often," she warned quickly. "We're very low on rum and other supplies." She saw the sick look that crossed Chase's face at the thought of rum running out and rolled her eyes like she had in Jack's quarters. "Don't worry; Jack's planning on making berth on Rum Cay soon for more rum." She patted Chase's shoulder and turned around.

She walked around the deck until she was standing at the bow of the ship, watching as the Pearl sliced through the water as if it were almost nothing. She looked down and was dismayed, as she had been for the last two days, as she saw that there was still no sign of the dolphins. She heard a pair of boots walk over to her and stop beside her. With only her eyes, she looked to her left side and saw Michael Turnbull standing right next to her with both arms braced against the railing, which was thinner on this part of the ship.

"Hello," she said softly so as not to startle him. She, better than anyone else, could feel Michael's sorrow at the lost of their old lookout and another who had come from their home of Bridgetown because she felt that sorrow within herself as well. She turned towards him a little. "How are you holdin' up?" she asked and placed her hand on his lower arm.

Michael turned his head towards her with dark blue eyes. He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Still up. You?"

Em nodded slowly and tried to smile back but failed. "I miss him," she told her best friend. Having finally opened up that part of her that she had been keeping locked for the past two days, tears began to roll down her face. "First Tobias and your brother Andy, and now him," she sniffed. "We're all we have left."

Michael pushed off the railing and pulled Em into his arms, letting her cry softly into his chest as he stroked her raven black hair. Em wrapped her arms around his middle. "No we're not," he told her once her tears had subsided somewhat. "You still have Jack."

Em lifted her tearstained face with more tears filling in her eyes. "Yes, but for how _long_, Michael? How long more until he has to leave me again?" She bit her bottom lip hard.

Michael shrugged his shoulders a little helplessly. "I don't know, but that's why you should cherish the moments you have with him. It's just like what Andy once told me. Life isn't about the breaths you take; it's about the moments that take your breath away."

Em smiled up at him and nodded. She wiped her tears away with one hand. "That's very true," she said and sighed. She didn't know what was making her so emotional all of a sudden, but then again she did have the right to be. But about the matter with Jack? She thought she had accepted that one day he would leave her. He was like a bird along with being like the ocean. She couldn't keep him caged just because she always wanted him by her side. Doing that would have been very selfish on her part. She loved him. Yet that fact did nothing to ease the pain she felt whenever she happened to catch herself thinking about it.

They heard a pair of boots walking towards them and looked back up the deck to see Jack Sparrow standing a few feet in front of them with a raised eyebrow. "'Ey Michael, you best not be tryin' to steal Emelia from me, eh?" he said, then laughed to let them know he was only teasing.

Em and Michael joined him as they pulled away from each other. In light of fun, they gave each other conspiratorial looks before Michael slung an arm around Em's shoulders and she placed her own arm around his waist. "Aren't we the _loveliest_ couple, Jack?" she joked. She and Michael laughed at the look Jack gave them, well mostly to Michael anyways.

"'Kay, s'not funny anymore," Jack huffed, which only made the two laugh harder as they pulled away from each other again.

"Ah, dun't worry mate. Em's just like the annoying little sister I always didn't want," Michael said. He grinned down at the evil look Em shot up at him.

Rolling her eyes at the "traitor," Em walked over to Jack, shaking her hips seductively as Michael still grinned behind her. Jack smirked widely enough to show off some of his gold teeth as Em pressed her body against his and threw her arms around his neck. Em lifted herself up higher using her tiptoes until her mouth was mere centimeters from Jack's warm lips. "Jaaaack," she purred. "You don't find me annoying, now do you?"

Michael was now a forgotten man in this, and sensing this, chuckled and left the love birds to their antics as he walked past them towards the hatch to get supper.

Em and Jack were the only ones on deck now.

Jack snaked his broad arms around Em's body, pulling her deeper into his. He met her dark brown eyes and wished to fall into their pools of mystery. "Not _now_, you aren't Emelia," he responded cheekily, his small payback from her comment back in his cabin, yet with a bit of huskiness to his tone. He ached at having her this close to him, with this intense intimacy which he only felt with Emelia Kraven.

Em leaned in more so that as she spoke, her lips brushed his. "Corsair," she whispered and kissed him passionately.


	31. Rum and Old Acquaintances

The next day near noon, the Pearl reached Rum Cay. On a map, it looked quite small, but in reality it was a good-sized island whose terrain was mostly flat lands with a few rolling hills. The tallest hill was Bayfield Hill, nestled very close to the south coast where Jack decided to beach his beloved ship. They had been very careful when berthing the Pearl, for surrounding the entire island were coral reefs that were very fatal to any unwary ship and her crew; which was the reason why Jack had decided to come to Rum Cay in the first place.

"Steady her men, and tighten those slacken lines! We don't want the Pearl to fall over now!" Em shouted at the crew on the main deck. She stopped right next to the center mast and looked up at Chase. When she had caught his eye, she shouted, "What is the status report with the men below?"

"They've finished anchoring down the Pearl, captain!" came the answer she wanted.

Em nodded and turned around towards the helm, catching Jack's waiting eye. "We're all ready here, Jack!" she shouted.

Jack nodded and turned his head towards Gibbs to order all the men on deck. When everyone had been assembled, Gibbs and Em began to issue orders to them. A few men headed by Michael were ordered to go inland to find any edible food that could be stored. They were also told to bring back fresh water that would replace the soiled and otherwise unspeakably despicable water they had been forced to drink for the past week. Others like Chase would continue to stay on the ship to dress down the torn black sails, check every inch of the rigging for broken lines that needed to be replaced immediately, and most important of all, repair the leak that they had acquired after the storm. A few of the younger men, though not many were as young as Michael or Em, were made to swab the decks.

Em placed both hands on her waist and took a step forward, only to step back with a funny look across her face. Everyone watched curiously as one of her delicate eyebrows lifted up and her left foot moved a little over the floorboards. Em raised her head and looked around until she spotted Briggen and Mr. Cotton's faces among the men. She called them forward and waited until they were standing in front of her.

High above her, still standing next to the steering wheel with a hand on one of the spokes, Jack watched with amusement as Em ordered Briggen and Mr. Cotton to repair the loose floorboards.

"What loose floorboards, cap'n?" Briggen asked in bewilderment.

Cotton saw out of the corner of his eye that the men of Em's crew closest to them took a few steps back and he warily did the same.

Em smirked. Once again Briggen shows his stupidity, Em thought. _Pity._ Without a word, she lifted her left foot high in the air, and then brought it hard down on a floorboard.

Jack winced at the same time many of his men went "ooooh" as the heavy wooden board hit Briggen squarely in the jaw, sending him flying back to the men and knocking him unconscious in the process.

Em looked at her laughing crew with an impish grin. She shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, mate should have learned by now." She turned to Cotton. "Mr. Cotton, bring him 'round and then get to work on those boards!" she ordered.

The colorful bird on his shoulder sort of saluted her with one of its wings and said, "Aye, aye captain!"

Em nodded to it and helped Michael usher his team of pirates over the starboard side of the Pearl. She watched them until they disappeared into the jungle that ran along the coast before turning around to come face to face with Jack Sparrow. She grinned up at him. "Ready?" she asked.

Jack held up a finger and looked over his shoulder. "Oy, Gibbs! Keep an eye on the men. Captain Emelia and I are to be heading off to Nesbitt Point to for rum!" he told his first mate.

Gibbs quickly stepped over Marty the dwarf and walked over to the two captains with a concerned expression on his face. "All by yerselves, Jack?" he asked uncertainly.

Em spoke before Jack could reply. "Don't worry Gibbs; I'll be sure to protect Jack," she told him with a smirk to the mentioned pirate, who gave her a black look.

A wide smile broke over Gibbs' worried face like a sun would break over dark clouds, and he threw back his head and laughed. "Aye, I'm reassured now, lass!"

"Alrigh', let's get a move on if we want to be back before sundown," Jack ordered brusquely. Without waiting for Em, he took the rope that dangled over the side and disappeared.

Em looked at Gibbs. "I think I'm in trouble," she joked, but she was slightly guilty about offending Jack and seeing that it really affected his pride.

Gibbs nodded. "It's best ye patch that up quickly fer all of our sakes," he advised her.

Em smiled. "Have fun managing the men here," she told him before following Jack off the Pearl. When she had reached Jack on the sandy shore, she saw that he still had the sour look on his face. "Jack, you're not still mad at that little old joke back on the Pearl, are you?" she asked him. "I was only having a little fun on you - Jack!" Em gasped as Jack roughly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her forcefully towards his body. She placed her hands on his chest instinctively. "Jack Sparrow, release me now!" she angrily ordered him.

Jack's previous scowl on his face changed into a smile full of mischief. He grinned down at her. "Is this the 'little fun' you had in mind, luv?" he asked as he began to caress the side of her face. 

He lowered his face down and brushed his lips softly across hers. "You forgot to call me _captain_," he whispered. Jack felt Em stir restlessly in his arms because of what he knew was her rising pleasure and suddenly let her go before beginning to walk west, leaving Em with her mouth slightly hanging from surprise along with a little revelation. He had teased her!

"_Captain _Jack Sparrow, you are the vilest, most horrible PIRATE I have ever met!" she shouted as she ran to catch up to him. When she was merely a few paces away from him, she jumped with every intention of knocking him down, but Jack quickly spun around and caught her up in his strong arms. He grinned down at her. "Now look what I've caught!" he exclaimed. "A siren!" Before Em could say a word, Jack pressed his lips hard on hers, making her moan with pleasure.  
"You damned cock-tease," she said as they separated, chests heaving slightly hard from lack of air.

Jack opened his arms out. "Pirate, Miss Kraven," he only said before stretching out his arm to wrap it around her waist. Em smiled up at him and placed her hand on the one on her waist as they walked into the jungle and began their trek up Bayfield Hill.

High above, the sweltering Caribbean sun reached its peak when Jack and Em finally reached Nesbitt Point, where there was no longer jungle but the sandy beach. The real point was a large cliff over to the far right that jutted over the sea. It was there, under the cliff, that a wreckage of a merchant ship could be seen amongst the breaking waves as they smashed into the rock and ship. The ship itself still looked in working condition except for the fact that it was broken almost cleanly in half.

"I still think that there might not be anymore rum in that thing," Em shouted down at Jack from the top of the cliff. Jack looked back up at her amongst the wreckage, specifically standing on what used to be the top deck. "Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained, Emelia!" he shouted back at her. He moved deftly amongst the broken pieces of wood and rigging that had fallen to the lower decks. Occasionally, a wave or two fell on Jack, but they were not big or powerful enough to blast him into the rocky cliff, which was what slightly made Em concerned for Jack's well being.

She bit her bottom lip. Em was secretly afraid that the coral reefs under the ship wouldn't hold any longer with all that weight and would send the ship and Jack into the ocean where a strong tidal wave would _then_ proceed to blast him into the rocky cliff.

A yell from deep inside the wreckage immediately alerted Em, and her heart began to beat faster. "_Jack?_" she yelled. When she heard no response, she tried calling him again, but this time he answer her back by calling her name before emerging onto the main deck with a bulging sack slung over his left shoulder. Em let out a sigh of relief. She glowered down at Jack's smirking face.

"Damn you, I should just leave you there, and then pilfer your ship!"

Jack threw his head back and laughed, but a wave that fell upon him turned his look sour.

It was Em's turn to laugh. She stuck a hand out over the edge and shouted, "Find the blasted rope so I can get you out of that bloody death trap!"

When Jack and the bag containing the rum bottles were onto the cliff beside Em, he handed her the bag, and they began their long trek back to the Pearl. It would be sunset soon, and neither of them wanted to camp inland until daybreak.

As they walked deeper into the jungle, with Jack taking the lead, a few times Em swore she felt something or _someone_ watching them. Then coming from her left, she heard something land in a tree. Stopping, she spun towards the spot, but saw nothing there. Em shook her head. She must be imagining things. "I must be more tired than I thought," she muttered under her breath before running to catch up to Jack.

When Em and Jack were near to the summit of Bayfield Hill, Em stopped again and stood very still because she had heard a weird chattering noise quite close to her, as if something had been standing behind her shoulder, making that noise.

This time Jack noticed that Em wasn't next to him and stopped too. He turned around and saw the look of apprehension on her face. Walking towards her, the tip of his boot stepped on a dry twig, and before he had time to think, the end of Em's pistol was pointing at him squarely in the eye.

Jack's eyebrows rose and he looked past the firearm to Em, raising a hand. "Love, I think we need to take a quick rest fer your sake," he suggested, motioning towards the effect.

Em slowly lowered her pistol, but still kept the hammer cocked as she continued to warily survey the trees and vines around them. She felt a presence coming towards her and made the motion to lift her pistol again, but Jack's hand firmly caught her wrist. Em turned her head to him and saw the concern in his eyes.

"What's makin' ye so jittery, Emelia?" Jack asked her as he let go of her wrist and placed both his hands on her shoulders.

Em looked at him with seriousness. "I've been having a strong feeling that something's been watching us; following us even," she told him. As soon as her last words left her mouth, they both heard a terrible screech that seemed to echo all around them. The sound was hair-raising, and drove up goosebumps up and down Em's arms. She felt Jack take the bag of rum bottles from her hand, and then clasp her free hand tightly. She looked up at him, seeing the alarmed look on his face.

"Time to go," he yelled above the screeching. Em nodded. She tightened her hold on her pistol and began running alongside Jack towards the top of the hill, dodging tree trunks and ducking under vines and branches. Em chanced a look over her shoulder, but saw nothing that was following them out in the open anyway. Yet the screeches seemed to be coming rapidly closer towards them.

In front of her, Jack looked over his shoulder and yelled, "Luv, keep yer deadlights forward!"

Em snapped her head back and her eyes grew wide as she looked over Jack's shoulder. "Jack look out!" she tried to warn him, but it was too late. As Jack began to turn his head back to the front, his head hit a low tree branch. Em quickly stopped in her tracks and had barely managed to catch Jack as he fell backwards. Yet his weight was too much for her tired arms and they ended up falling back onto the ground. Em gasped as the heaviest part of Jack's weight landed on her chest, nearly crushing the very breath out of her. The bottles of rum clinked but thankfully none of them broke as the bag fell to their right.

"Jack, you're crushing my lungs!" Em gasped.

Jack slowly sat up, rubbing the throbbing left side of his face. "Bugger," he moaned and shook his head in an effort to rid himself of the headache building. Jack looked up with every intention on glaring at the troublesome tree branch, but as his kohl-rimmed eyes fixed on the piece of jutting wood, he saw the source of the screeching.

"_MONKEY!_" he yelled before a small, rather well-dressed simian launched itself down from the tree branch and attached itself firmly on Jack's face, screeching its head off.

"Jack!" Em shouted as she watched the pirate roll off her legs and began to fight on the ground to rid himself of the furry mammal, who was doing quite a job at keeping itself lodged on his head. She scrambled quickly to her feet and watched Jack roll around, kicking and flailing his hands and legs, yelling at the top of his lungs as much and as hard as the monkey. But what Em noticed as she looked closer at the primate was that this particular monkey was properly clothes in small rich silks.

Still on the ground, Jack clawed at the monkey until he grabbed a fistful of the tiny jacket it wore and used it to rip the monkey off of his head. He looked wildly around until he saw Em standing a few feet away, just staring at them. "What in the Seven Seas are ye doing there just gawking, woman! Shoot the thing!" he yelled at her.

Em snapped out of her daze and cocked the hammer on her pistol as she raised it. Pointing at the monkey's back, as it tried to claw out Jack's eyes, she pulled the trigger and watched as the monkey flew past Jack's head in a cloud of smoke, but the amazing part was that instead of lying dead as it should have been, the monkey jumped onto its feet and gave Em a look of contempt.

"It's still alive!" Em exclaimed, truly perplexed. What was this _thing_? Em watched as it began for another go at Jack. "Jack, it's coming back!" she warned him, and this time as the monkey jumped up, Jack rolled away at the last moment. However, he had left his tricorn hat in his place. When the monkey landed on the ground, it seized Jack's leather hat and hightailed its furry self past Em where it ran towards the summit point of Bayfield Hill.

Jack scrambled to his feet with a murderous look on his face. "That bloody monkey stole me hat!" he yelled. Taking his own pistol, Jack began to race after the monkey.

"Jack, wait!" Em cried as she grabbed the bag at her feet and took off after him. As she came to the peak of the hill, she saw up ahead as Jack skidded to a halt and pointed his pistol at the monkey, who was swinging off tree branches by its skinny tail. She saw Jack aim at the monkey and fire. Her eyes followed the monkey as it landed hard on the ground, but just like when she had shot at it, the monkey jumped back on its feet and smiled tauntingly at Jack, who began to swear at the top of his lungs.

Em laughed at this scene: Jack stomping in his spot with his faded red bandana slightly escew so that it almost covered his eyes and the monkey right in front of them jumping up on down while screaming in laughter made Em throw her head back and laugh.

Attention soon drew onto her, and Jack spun around and glowered at her. "Well, it's alright fer you to laugh at me situation, but it's bloody not alrigh' for me!" he shouted, shaking with fury. Had he turned back around, he would have seen the monkey had also taken an interest in Em. Seizing his chance, the monkey sped over to the two humans with Jack's hat in his mouth.

"What in the bloody-?!" Jack exclaimed as he watched the monkey run out from under his legs and jump onto Em's arm.

Em gasped and dropped both her pistol and the bag, but that did not stop the monkey from climbing up her arm until he was perched on one of her shoulders. Before neither she nor Jack could do a thing, the simian took Jack's hat from its mouth and placed it on Em's head.

Em slowly looked at Jack, and the comically stunned look on his face and the situation in its entirety made Em burst out laughing all over again. When it had subsided, Em looked up at the monkey and attentively began to pat its little head. "Aw, I think I've taken a liking to this fellow," she cooed playfully because she knew by the deadly look Jack was giving to it that he definitely didn't have a liking for it. "I want to keep him."

"No, no, no!" Jack yelled and pointed his pistol at the monkey. It screamed and tried to hide behind Em's head. Jack pulled the trigger, but the hammer clicked uselessly and the barrel of his pistol sparked. He didn't have any more bullets. However, that didn't stop Jack from his apparent vendetta against the monkey as he threw his pistol down and drew out his sword.

Em's eyes widened as she slowly began to back away. Tears began to glaze her eyes at the pain the monkey was bringing to her head as it pulled hard on her long hair. It was screeching so loud out of fear that she feared she'd soon go deaf. "Jack, you put that thing away!" she warned him as he began to approach her.

Jack gave the monkey a wide sadistic grin. "Here, monkey, monkey!" he taunted. Jack raised his sword high in the air and swung vertically.

Em cried out and ducked low in time as the blade past over her head and the monkey's. She pried the monkey off of her head and threw it in the trees where it began to swing from branch to branch away from danger. As Em stood back up, she drew out her own cutlass and caught Jack's blade with it. "You leave him alone," Em told him.

Jack pressed his palm on the flat side of his blade and used it to push her back. "Sorry darling, but this calls for it!" Jack replied before he turned to where the monkey was seen last.

Em saw that he was going to pursue the monkey and jumped in front of him, brandishing her cutlass. "Well then you'll have to go through me first," she said and swung her sword.

Jack jumped back and looked at her like she was the one who had gone mad. "Why in bloody hell are you trying to protect that little demon?" he demanded. He jumped back again to avoid her swinging blade.

"Why are _you_ trying to kill _him_, Mr. Sparrow?" Em countered. She brought her sword high in the air and brought it down horizontally.

Jack raised his sword vertically and caught her blade inches from his nose. He pushed it back and swung his blade at her, watching as she stumbled back. "Oh, now you've done it, lass!" He smirked widely as Em got back her footing and they began to circle each other with blades raised. He saw the resolve set on her face and took up her challenge. "Well luv, if ye want to play games with ol' Jack, let's play!"


	32. Meet Malva Dame

From the top of Bayfield Hill, the singing and crashing of Jack and Em's metal blades could be heard for miles all around. From the west, the dying sun began to disappear below the sea horizon. It was going to be a cloudy night, or that's what the mass of pink-tinged clouds set against the rich autumn background told.

Jack stumbled back from nearly tripping over a rock the size of his head. He looked up at Em, who was quick to advance on him. His eyes landed on his hat, still perched on her head. An idea struck his head, and he quickly picked up the rock with his free hand.

Em saw the rock coming towards her and crouched low. It sailed over her head, but it wasn't the only thing to. A large shadow also passed over her head, and Em became acutely aware as she stood back up that there was a certain absence of weight on her head. She spun around and saw it had been Jack that had jumped over her head right after the rock, and he was standing haughtily with his tricorn hat over his faded red bandana.

"_Touche_, Mr. Sparrow," Em applauded him mockingly.

Jack swept his hat off and gave her a brief low bow. As he came back up, his brown eyes widened and he suddenly shouted, "Put that down if ye know what's good fer you, lass!"

Em took a confused step back and raised her eyebrow. She noticed that Jack was staring at something from behind her and made the motion to turn around, but the next moment she fell hard on the ground with the right side of her head pounding furiously. Em groaned and rolled over onto her back, pressing her palm onto her injury. When I find out who did this, their guts are mine! she thought murderously. She became aware of a high-pitched giggling around the area above her head. It was the kind of laughter one would hear frequently among the whores in Tortuga. Slowly, Em sat up and fought the wave of dizziness that washed over her as she turned around to where she heard the laughter. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

Clinging around Jack's neck was a woman who, by the looks of her plain tattered gown, looked to be a stranded. Em's eyebrows rose as she lay back on her hands and observed this woman, who looked like she was trying to flirt with Jack; too hard, it seemed. Her wild, inky black hair nearly matched Em's hair in length. It framed the woman's curvy figure, which was more revealed because of the bad condition of her garments. Em was surprised that it even covered the woman's ample breasts. Yet while her breasts were large, she was quite thin, probably from lack of food. Yet what really unnerved Em was this woman's skin; it was very pale, like there seemed to be no blood flowing in her veins except what were in her cheeks, which were tinted so that she looked like she was eternally blushing. The paleness of her skin made the dirt smudges on her body all the more visible to the naked eye. Em's dark brown eyes locked onto this woman's own orbs, which looked as hard and cold as twin black pearls.

Em watched with new found wariness as the woman turned her gaze away from Em back to Jack and threw her dark head back as her high-pitched laughter erupted from within the depths of her throat. Em's eye twitched as she saw Jack place his calloused hands on this vixen's small waist and gave this woman a look that was unreadable to Em.

Em did not like it one bit that she could not read Jack's look (and usually she could), which seemed to be in a mask of perfect calculation. Quickly, Em got onto her feet while grabbing her cutlass on the ground as she went. She cleared her throat and attention was drawn on her. Throwing a glare at Jack, who immediately extracted himself out from under the woman's long pale arms, Em directed her fierce look at the woman herself. Em saw that her pink lips were formed into a pout. Em raised her cutlass and pointed it at her. "I don't think you've introduced yourself."

The woman smirked and took a step towards Em, swaying her hips this way and that like a gypsy would. It drew Jack's immediate gaze. "That's cuz I din't intr'duce meself," she replied saucily. Her eyes grew wide with fear as the cold blade was pressed under her chin. She glared at the woman before her with distaste.

"Well then speak now; who are you?" Em demanded.

"Dame, Malva Dame," came the haughty reply. "And yers?"

It was Em's turn to smirk. "Captain Emelia Kraven of The Raven pirate ship." Em watched with secret delight as the fear overtook Malva Dame at the recognition of the infamous female pirate. Em watched Jack, who had miraculously stopped looking at Malva's swaying hips, as he seemed to almost waltz over right next to her. Em motioned towards him with a jerk of her head. "And this is Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl," Em said. Jack grinned down at her with pleasure at the proper introduction. _Look what I have become_, she mused silently as her smirk turned into a genuine smile that she directed at Jack. _Or, look what _Jack_ has made me become_.

Malva's previous fear of Em seemed to have melted away as she also recognized the infamous _male_ pirate. "_Jack Sparrow_!" she crowed in delight, stressing each vowel in his name.

The corner of Jack's mustache twitched unpleasantly, although to Em it looked like it had twitched in equal delight. He raised a finger in front of Malva's face. "It's _Captain _Jack Sparrow, love," he corrected her.

Malva looked from Jack to his finger. She smiled flirtatiously and softly pressed her lips to his finger. "I'd let you be my captain _any_ day, _Captain_ Jack Sparrow," she whispered seductively.

Em's jaw slightly dropped and she felt jealousy and rage explode in the pit of her stomach. She snapped her head towards Jack and saw that he was looking at Malva Dame with raised eyebrows. Em's eyes followed his hand as he brought it close towards him and saw as he began to stroke the finger that Malva had kissed. "Jack!" Em exclaimed angrily. Em whipped her head towards Malva and saw a calculating look in her dark, cold eyes.

"Is he yer _lover_?" Malva asked boldly.

Em gritted her teeth and blushed at the same time out of embarrassment, but before she could reply, a familiar screeching sound was heard from the tree above them. Malva shrieked as a familiar monkey flew at her from the branch.

"No!" Jack cried as he whacked the little simian mid-air with the flat blade of his cutlass. The creature flew off to the side.

"Jack, no!" Em cried at the same time Malva shouted, "My hero!" She threw herself onto Jack and her arms went immediately around his neck. Em's eyes widened at the same time her anger peaked as she watched Malva Dame kiss Jack hard on his lips. The worst part was that Jack didn't even try to release himself from it.

Feeling as if Jack had stabbed her in the heart with his own cutlass, Em quickly left them and ran towards where she had last seen the little monkey. He seemed to be fine, and was angrily jumping up and down on the bag full of rum bottles. Em smiled sadly down at him, blinking back the tears that quickly pooled in her eyes. She picked up her pistol beside the bag and put it and her cutlass away. The monkey quickly grabbed onto her arm and jumped onto her shoulders. It turned its head towards Jack and Malva and hissed at the former. Em reached up and stoked its head until it chattered happily.

"Seems like we're on the same boat where Jack is concerned, aye?" With one last look towards the two, she and the monkey left for the Pearl, leaving the bag and them behind.

Night had fully shown its face when Em waded waist-deep through the cold ocean waves towards the dangling rope on the starboard side of the Pearl with the monkey still on her shoulder. She sighed in frustration as she thought about what the men would say when she returned on deck without Jack.

_Maybe I can get away with telling the men that Jack had somehow been turned into the monkey_, she thought and smirked grimly.

Sensing her dark mood, the monkey on her shoulder wrapped its arms around her neck in an almost comforting gesture. Em rubbed the soft fur on its head with the tips of her fingers. "Thanks Jack." She had decided halfway down Bayfield Hill that she would call it Jack not only for _who_ she thought was now lost to her, but also to annoy its human counterpart whenever he found the time to come back to his ship.

Which I don't think likely will happen any time soon, Em thought bitterly as Malva Dame's haughty smirk swam into her mind. She grabbed onto the soaking rope and began to climb up. When she had pulled herself onto the deck, she was greeted by Gibbs, who as she predicted, wore a look of bewilderment. He had not noticed the monkey on her shoulder.

"Where be Jack?" he asked her with a hint of underlying worry.

Em gave Gibbs a wry, cynical smile. "Don't worry 'bout dear Captain Sparrow, Mr. Gibbs. I'm sure he's in the _safe_ arms of Malva Dame," she said the last part very bitterly.

Gibbs looked closely at Em. She wasn't a person to address Jack so formally unless the hapless male captain had done something to merit this detached and bitter behavior from Em Kraven. "You found someone stranded here?" he asked cautiously for fear of Em's infamous temper. A deep growl that seemed to come from the base of Em's throat made him jump.

"I don't think she was just stranded here," Em muttered darkly.

Gibbs shook his head and looked up, seeing that the clouds above were starting to part away from the full moon. "I think we'll have to stay anchored here tonight until t'morrow mornin'," he said as he lowered his gaze back to Em. He finally noticed the thing on her shoulder, and his eyes widened at the same time a cry of panic erupted from between his lips.

Looking up at the sound of a pistol hammer being cocked, Em came face to face with the bitter end of Gibbs' pistol. Jack's first mate was staring at Jack the monkey with fear written all over his face.

"Gibbs, I demand that you put that away this instant," Em ordered him sternly. She watched him motion wildly with his shaking pistol to the monkey on her head.

"I'll not be lettin' ye take that _undead thing_ on the Pearl, Miss Kraven!" he shouted. Their raised voices had now attracted the men on deck. They began to crowd around Em and Gibbs. Once many of them saw what was on Em's shoulder, they also began to yell and even pointing at it. However, as Em turned her head to look at Jack the monkey, he was no longer a cute furry simian, but a scaly, decaying creature.

Em screamed as she grabbed the monkey by the tattered little vest it wore and threw it off of her shoulders. Everyone watched as it landed on the polished deck and ran towards the center mast where it began to climb and swing from the network of sail lines.

"Beggads! It be still cursed!" Gibbs yelled as his wide eyes followed the monkey.

Em turned to Gibbs. "You know this thing?" she demanded.

Gibbs nodded as he wiped the sweat crowning his brow with the sleeve of his cotton shirt. He noticed the men around them and took on a stern posture. "'Ey, what are ye all doing just standing like landlubbers! Get back to work!" he shouted at them. Once it was only Em and Gibbs, the latter turned to Em with a serious look. "You know of all the stories about the Pearl's former Captain Barbossa and his crew, aye?" he asked. When Em nodded, he continued, raising a grubby finger as he did so. "Aye, mutinied on Jack they did to acquire the Pearl. They went after a chest full of cursed Aztec gold. I suppose ye heard of all the stories up to about how Jack got his ship back, aye?" When Em nodded again, Gibbs took his finger and pointed at the monkey, who was not an undead creature now. "That is Captain Barbossa's pet, Jack. He named it after our Jack to mock him, of sorts."

At this Em snorted. _Oh the coincidental irony_, she thought. It explained why Jack had tried to kill the monkey back on Bayfield Hill. "But I thought that the crew and captain were no longer cursed," she said.

Gibbs nodded heavily and cast the monkey a dark look. "That'd be true, but this one must have not had the cursed lifted from it. We must get rid of it 'fore Jack comes back," he said.

Em shook her head. "No, I want to keep him," she said, but no sooner had her words left her mouth, than a familiar rough voice growled, "No yer not! That cursed demon is _not_ staying on MY ship!"

Em and Gibbs turned towards the source of the voice and saw Jack. To Em's intense displeasure, Malva Dame was also with him. Em's eyes immediately went to Malva's pale arms, which were wrapped around Jack's neck as if she were a pretty necklace, and she felt her rage flare again, especially since Jack didn't seemed to mind the extra dead weight hanging off of him. Em took a step towards Jack and put her hands on her hips in a defiant gesture. "Well too bad, so sad Jack because I'm keeping him!"

Jack opened his mouth to tell Em she couldn't keep the monkey when someone of the crew yelled, "'Ey Jack, who be yer new _lady friend_?"

Em watched as the men on deck began to crowd around Malva and bit her bottom lip in frustration. Her gaze landed at the center of the crowd of pirates, and saw that Malva was grinning widely at the attention she was getting. She threw back her tangled black locks and her high-pitched laughter raked through Em's ears.

"Where did ye come from, lassie?" someone asked.

Malva looked up at Jack, who still stood next to her, and reached up to tweak one of his beard braids. "Oh, this dashin' pirate right here saved me," she told them. A round of laughter surrounded her and Jack, who grinned at being the center of attention. Jack clearly was enjoying it as much as Malva.

"Actually, I happ'ned to have _saved_ Jack from bein' attacked by that vicious woman right over there!" Malva said and raised her other hand to point at Em.

Em glared hard at her, wishing that her gaze would burn a hole through Malva's head. _I'll give _her_ vicious!_

"Emelia!"

Em jumped and spun around to come face to face with Michael. His sky blue eyes momentarily looked over her shoulder at the newcomer before returning to his captain. Gibbs had disappeared to the helm. "Who's she?" he asked, noticing the mixture of dark emotions raging on his captain's face.

Em blinked back tears. "It's Jack's new whore," she replied bitterly.

"No she's not, Emelia." Em turned around and saw Jack standing in front of her. He had miraculously extracted himself out of the mob, which seemed to have only grown around Malva. Em noticed that Ozz was in the thick of it with his arm slung around Malva's fair shoulders.

Em returned her attention on Jack and glared daggers at him. The intensity of her gaze was enough to send him stepping back in worry that she'd slap him, or worse. "Oh, and what sappy story of woe did she tell you as you two were snogging, ey?" she demanded. She didn't even let him answer her question when she snapped, "I'm keeping the monkey!"

It was Jack's turn to glare at her. He stepped up closer to her until their faces were mere inches away from each other. "No yer not! I am the captain of this ship!" he seethed. "And so my word goes!" From under his dark tan, Jack's face was slowly turning red from frustration.

Em's lips turned up into a twisted kind of smirk. She closed any gaps that were between their bodies so that her body was firmly pressed against his. Placing her hands on his chest, she rose up on her tips toes and pressed her lips close to his ear. "If you get to keep ol' Dame over there, then I'll be keeping little Jack!" she whispered harshly.

* * *

Up at the helm where he stood close to the great wooden steering wheel, Joshamee Gibbs' ash grey eyes followed Captain Emelia Kraven as she pulled away from Jack, who wore a stunned expression across his face like he had been told the Pearl was only a boat instead of a ship. Em spun so sharply on her heel that her long hair whipped across Jack's face, and she stomped off to the double doors leading to the Captain's Quarters. Gibbs slowly shook his head and ran a hand over his oily greying hair. Yet the scene wasn't over yet. He saw the crowd part as Malva stepped out of it and sauntered over towards Jack, hips swaying provacatively. She proceeded to throw her thin, pale arms around his neck and whisper something into his ear.

A look of pure disgust appeared on Michael Turnbull's tanned face as he threw Jack a heated glare before he walked away towards the hatch leading down to the lower decks.

Gibbs returned his gaze to the couple and watched with slight relief as Jack roughly pulled himself away from Malva and walked away towards the bow. The first mate eyed Malva Dame for a moment, with particular interest on her eyes. Her cold, rock-hard eyes were lit up like a tiger ready to eat its next meal and that meal looked to be a certain Sparrow.

Joshamee Gibbs shook his head again as he took out his small leather flask before taking a deep drink from it.

"Aye, _terribly_ bad luck to have a woman on board; especially _this_ one. Blessed mother and child, watch over Jack."


	33. Heart and Body

Em toiled furiously over the large map of the Caribbean islands that same night she and Jack found Malva Dame and Jack the monkey. Em sat there in Jack's gloomy cabin, hunched over his writing desk with a route meter held tightly in her left hand. Her mind was working overtime as she made countless calculations in her head. She was not completely unaware of her surroundings, but she did not look up as the double doors swung open and a pair of heavy footsteps strode into the room.

Still not looking up, Em began to speak briskly, "I've figured out that it'll take us at least four days until we make berth on Port Nassau before we completely run out of provisions." Her eyes wearily scanned the route she had chartered. The dimly lit lamp hanging directly above her swayed in time to the motion of the ship. "That is, if the weather holds up," she added and finally looked up.

Em had expected to see Jack standing in front of her, and he was. However, also in his company was Malva Dame, with one pale arm wrapped possessively around his waist like a charm. Em's eyes dangerously narrowed into slits. "What is _she_ doing in here?"

Jack quickly sidestepped away from Malva and exclaimed, "So, to good old Port Nassau, eh? Wonderful times!"

Em shook her head angrily at Jack's weak attempt to shy away from her question, which was more like a demand. She threw down the route meter before she slowly walked around the writing desk until she stood in front of Jack. "Jack, what is she doing in here?" Em repeated.

The pirate in front of her made a face that plainly said he didn't want to answer, yet he answered anyway. "Well love, as you may vividly remember, with dearest Malva's inexplicably unexpected arrival accommodations for everyone are as problematic as ever before," he quickly told her, but still carefully weighing each word. "_Certain _accommodations must be made."

Em knew immediately what Jack was intending. "This cabin is _too small_ for two women to share," she told him heatedly.

Jack slowly shook his head. The dangling jewels in his wild hair clinked softly together. "You half misunderstood me, darling, although it _would_ be comforting to my person at having an extra companion to share these cold nights with." He saw the glares both women gave him and nervously cleared his throat. He looked at Em. "I meant that Malva should take the hammock and-"

"And where am I supposed to take refuge?" Em interrupted. Her temper and jealousy were flaring up again. "Surely you mustn't be thinking that I sleep in the crow's nest again!"

Jack shrugged almost helplessly, but before he could reply, Malva spoke for the first time since she stepped into the cabin.

"Well it shouldn't really be a probl'm fer ye to sleep there seeing as yer already fit fer a place like it," Malva said with poisoned honey dripping off every word.

Em's left hand moved towards her cutlass, but Jack was suddenly and directly in front of her. He quickly grasped her shoulders. "Luv, she didn't mean it like that. Aye, Malva?" he added over his shoulder.

Malva nodded with a meek show, but both pirates saw the hard glint in her obsidian eyes.

Jack turned his attention back to Em, who was giving him a cold look. "Emelia, yer safe now that McIlrath is gone, and it'll be only fer four days 'til we berth in Port Nassau," he told her gently.

Jack Sparrow saw that even though he had tried to be as reassuring as possible, Em's cold look grew chillier. She roughly shrugged off his hands and walked around him until her back was to him and she was face to face with Malva. Then with a sharp turn of her heel, Em spun around to face Jack, and her long hair whipped hard across Malva's face.

"Timmothy McIlrath may have been sick with obsession over me and was a danger to us all, but," Em paused slightly to blink back tears, "but at least I knew he would have _never_ discarded me for a two-bit wench like you are doing right now." Without waiting to see Jack's reaction, or hear his excuses, Em quickly spun back around (also hitting Jack across the face with her hair in the process) and marched towards the double doors. She was gone with the slams of the doors, leaving one scowling vixen and one stunned Sparrow.

Em stood out on the empty main deck, lonely and feeling the sort of coldness not even the bitterest Atlantic weather could match. It was all Jack and that whore's fault that she was here, all alone with her left hand pressed tightly across her mouth to keep the sounds of her sobs from echoing through this silent night.

Em knew that what Jack had implied to her was true. That once they reached Port Nassau Malva Dame would be gone, but Em would never go back to that heartbreaking shark named Jack Sparrow. She had thought, _hoped_, that she had been the only woman Jack wanted. There was not really a question of who he loved; it was obvious after all Jack had put himself through that he still loved her and always would. Yet, it was the matter of if he was going to be true to Em in both heart and body. Well Em had been very much in the wrong in the latter. Not even _she_ could match a man's vast appetite for new flesh.

_Now they have a cabin all to their selves to_ amuse_ each other_, Em thought bitterly as her tears fell faster, burning the sides of her face.

"Who be down there?"

Em jumped from surprise. She had forgotten that Chase Turnbull was now the lookout, and so she was not as alone as she had previously thought. Her tears had all been surprised out of her, and as she hurriedly wiped her face clean, she answered back in a strong voice, "'Tis only I, Em Kraven, Chase!" Praying that there was no longer any indication that she had been crying, Em looked up and met the hawk-like eyes of her lookout.

The dark bush of Chase's head bobbed up and down. "Aye, only you, Em. Fer a moment, I thought I . . ." Chase trailed off and cleared his throat. "Why are you up this late?" he asked.

"I've come to tell you that you'll be relieved from your duty for the next four days. You'll bunk back in with the rest of the men down below," she told him in a tone that he well knew not to argue with. Chase silently nodded, and Em watched him until he had climbed down the main mast and had disappeared below deck.

With a soft sigh, Em started towards the hatch leading below deck also. She might as well temporarily drink her worries and sorrow away.

When Em had left Jack and Malva with the slams of the doors, the two had stood there for a long while in silence, the former wondering what had just happened.

Jack Sparrow's mind wasn't really with reality at the moment, for he was only thinking about what Emelia Kraven had said about Timmothy McIlrath before she had left._ . . . at least I knew he would have_ never _discarded me for a two-bit wench like you are doing right now_, she had said. Jack's brow furrowed in confusion. What could have Em possibly have meant by that? What had he done wrong? Certainly not have cheated on her with Malva, if that was what Em had been implying?

As if summoned by the thought, the said woman was standing quite close to him now and was encircling his waist with her pale hands. Jack looked down at the wench's pretty face, startled, and watched as her pink lips moved. "Now that we have _that_ lil' nuisance gone, let's say we have ourselves a lil'_ fun_," she purred.

Jack felt as if she had stung him like a jellyfish. He realized now why Em had acted like she did. Emelia Kraven thought that he was having something with Malva Dame. Jack pried Malva's cold hands off of him and stared her straight in the eye in a rare moment of seriousness.

"Look here, _Miss Dame_," he began sternly with emphasis on the formal use of her name, "let's get this very straight. There is no, and never _was_, a 'we' between us. There is only one woman strong enough to withstand me, and to love me wholly for me many virtues and overlook me sins, and that woman is Emelia Kraven. You can never have her place in me heart and neither you nor any other woman can ever have this body. Savvy?"

Malva looked like she had been slapped across the face. Yet as she took a step back from Jack, her look turned sour and haughty. "Aye, I savvy," she snapped. "But know this Jack-y, when I want a man, I get 'im no matter if he has a woman or not!"

Despite the threat, Jack leaned back on his writing desk with arms crossed over his chest and a wide grin flashing across his tan face. "Aye lass, I don't doubt fer a moment that you get yer man," he told her with laughter in his tone. "An' frankly it's not in me nature to pass up a kiss or cuddle with pretty lass that I come across once in a while. Yet I _also_ don't doubt what me darling Emelia will do to you _if_ you try to take what is rightfully hers." Jack slowly leaned forward until his face was mere inches from Malva's.

"And luv,_ I_ am what's rightfully hers."


	34. Forgiveness is Sweet

The next morning, Em woke up with a hangover and a surprise which left her with strong mixed feelings. Last night, before she nodded off to sleep, she had resolved herself to never talk to Jack unless forced to on account of her duty as co-captain. Yet as she stared down at the dark coat that had fallen onto her lap when she woke, Em was utterly speechless. There was only one person who would have snuck out of the warm confines of his cabin and would have given her the coat he had taken from one of his crew members to save her from the cold night.

But why would Jack do it? she wondered as she resisted the urge to throw up due to the hangover. She didn't usually feel this bad after only one bottle of rum the night before. Looking back on the last few days, her liking for rum had diminished somewhat to that she barely touched it.

Em looked up at the sounds of the ropes below her, squeaking and creaking, and the next moment, Chase Turnbull appeared.

"'Ey captain," he greeted her with a nod. He noticed the empty rum bottle on her left and the old coat Jack Sparrow had worn the day before on her lap. He cracked a grin. "Had a little fun last night, Em?" he joked. His smile instantly dropped at the dark look on Em's face. Muttering an apology, Chase climbed onto the crow's nest.

Em slowly shook her throbbing head. Without any words said to her lookout, Em threw on Jack's coat to shelter from the cold winds blowing and climbed down onto the main deck.

She found Jack at the helm, manning the steering wheel with old mute Cotton and his colorful parrot standing silently behind his captain. Em noticed every once in a while Jack would throw looks that almost bordered on paranoia over his shoulder at Cotton, as if the older sailor was planning something. If Em wasn't so mad at Jack at the moment, she'd actually laugh at this scene. It was when Jack was looking back in front of the wheel was when he noticed Em below. He gave her a nod and tried to give her a small smile when he recognized that she wore his new coat, but he received a chilly greeting in return.

Em stiffly nodded towards Jack before making her way towards the helm. She saw Jack give Cotton a short order before he left the wheel to meet her at the top of the stairs.

"Good morrow, darling," Jack greeted her cheerfully. "Fine morning, isn't it?" He instantly regretted his last words as soon as they passed between his chapped lips. Not only did Em have the look of someone with a bad hangover, but the implication that his words were implying were showing their effect in the dark scowl that now crossed Em's pale face.

Without a word, for she knew only spiteful and accusing words would only come, Em roughly stripped off Jack's coat and threw it at him. With a turn of her heel (this sent her hair flying and hitting Jack across the face), Em stomped back down the stairs and started for Jack's cabin with all curious eyes drawn upon her.

As Em reached the closed doors leading into Jack's cabin, Em kicked them open. She smirked with a bit of pleasure at the loud swearing she heard as she strode inside. Just as Em had thought, Malva had believed she wouldn't have to do anything on this ship, but nothing in life comes for free. As Em rounded the large wooden beam, she looked to the hammock and held back her laughter when she laid eyes on Malva, who struggled to pick herself up from the wooden floor.

Hearing the squeaks of the floorboards, Malva's dark head shot up and she glared daggers at Em. The look in Malva's eyes told Em that she knew it had been her that disturbed the vixen's beauty sleep.

Before Malva could have a chance to complain, Em said, "This is not some pleasure cruise. You will earn your keep on this ship, so get up and get out on deck in the next ten minutes or there'll be hell to pay."

When Malva finally emerged from Jack's cabin, the sun was just starting to climb the pale blue Caribbean sky. The men on deck were bustling with their respective orders. Beside the main mast, Em waited for Malva with a wooden bucket filled with soapy water and a dirty-looking rag which Em promptly handed to Malva. She pointed to a random spot on the deck.

"Swab the deck until it's so clean you could eat off it," Em ordered harshly. "Finish before nightfall, and you've assured yourself supper."

"Now hold on a damn minute!" Malva cried angrily when Em began to walk away. "I did not come onto this bloody ship to be worked like a dog-"

"That's because you came onto this ship to only get into Jack's breeches!" Em snapped.

Malva Dame gasped and looked at Em as if she had suggested something very unclean and indecent. However, Malva's surprise quickly evaporated and an almost triumphant look fell upon her face as she slowly sauntered closer to Em. "Aye, and what fun _that_ was," she sighed heavily, as if it had been an ultimate task and pleasure.

With her usual rational mind clouded by anger and jealousy, Em could not see through Malva's lie. Em whipped her hand back and lashed it across Malva's face. The hard impact of the blow and the unnatural paleness of Malva's skin both contributed to Malva's apple-red cheek.

"You best start scrubbing lest you don't get any supper!" Em told her with malice before she stormed off towards the bow of the Pearl.

For the rest of the day, Em kept herself very busy so that she wouldn't have to think of either Jack or Malva. Yet being busy didn't mean that she could avoid the intense looks she always saw on Jack's face whenever she caught him staring at her, or the very presence of Malva Dame as she inched along first the main deck and then the poop deck.

* * *

It was near to supper time when the sound of a pistol shot rang across the ship and over the churning waves.

Like a dog alerted by the sound of a hunting horn, Em looked up from the writing desk. Standing up, she quickly made for the doors. When she emerged out of Jack's cabin, she saw that the men working on deck seemed rather unfazed by the gunshot. However, she did notice a few of them glancing towards the bow of the ship.

Em caught Michael Turnbull by the arm as he passed by with an armful of ropes. "Who shot their pistol?" Em demanded, although she had a solid idea who. There weren't many captains who would let their crew also carry pistols on an ordinary day unless they risked certain mutiny.

"It's just Jack," came the expected answer.

Em's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And what is he doing, per say?" she asked.

A wry smile appeared across Michael's handsome light brown face. "He's, ah, practicing his shot for - where are you going?" Michael called as Em stormed past him towards the bow.

As she passed the main mast, the high-pitched screams of Jack the monkey reached her ears, and Em felt her anger rise, especially at the sight of Jack with his pistol raised up at the tops of the masts, trying his best to aim at the fleeing simian.

"Jack Sparrow!" Em roared as she quickened her pace towards him.

Jack lowered his pistol. He spun around and the side of his jaw collided with Em's left fist. His head spun half way around and a dazed look crossed his face. "I don't think I deserved _that_," he told himself.

"Oh yes, you _did_, Jack Sparrow!" Em shouted as Jack turned his head back forward.

One of Jack's bushy eyebrows rose, giving him a puzzled look. "Oh, and why may tha' be, darling?" he asked. Although he kept his eyes trained on Em, his ears were straining to hear where the monkey was located.

"Don't shoot at the monkey!" Em screamed in his face, her lovely tan complexion turning dark red from her anger. "Or I will shoot at _you_!"

Jack grinned wryly in the face of her wrath. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time ye did, eh?" he said and gave a little wave with his free hand. Thinking their business was done, Jack turned around with every intention of finding the monkey again, but the cold click of a pistol hammer from behind forced him to turn around to face the end of Em's weapon.

Em looked at Jack with utmost seriousness on her face, and burning anger in her dark brown eyes. Her earlier hysterics were gone. "Even if he is dead, Jack, do not shoot at him, or I will swear on my brother's soul that I will shoot you meself," she warned him. With that, Em un-cocked the pistol hammer, stowed it away on her leather belt, and strode back to Jack's cabin, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.

* * *

That night when many of the men had retired down below, the two second-in-commands Michael Turnbull and Joshamee Gibbs slipped onto the main deck and joined Emelia Kraven at the helm. The Black Pearl was anchored at the moment, slowly moving in time with the peaceful waves lapping up against the side of the ship.

"That Dame brings nuthin' but trouble," Em muttered angrily as Michael handed her the flask of water she had requested he bring. He and Gibbs each held a bottle of rum and took to standing on either side of her.

Gibbs nodded his head quickly. "Aye, the lass gives me a very bad feelin'," he said feverishly. "'Er eyes look like the kind of coal they use to light the fires of Hell."

Michael laughed and even Em had to smile at that. "'Coal they use to light the fires of Hell'?" Michael repeated in disbelief.

Gibbs looked at Michael with a blank expression on his face. "Aye."

Em exchanged a look with Michael before she turned her head towards distant footsteps echoing from the main deck. After handing her water flask to Michael, she stepped around him and walked towards the staircase on the right side, where the footsteps were now coming from. As she stopped at the top of the staircase, Em immediately regretted not going early to bed up in the crow's nest as she stared down into Jack's mesmerizing gaze.

A cheeky grin appeared across Jack's face. "Ah, just the lass I wanted to speak to," he exclaimed. He slightly tilted his head to the side. The weak moonlight shined upon the small bruise forming on his jaw where Em had hit him this afternoon, and it reminded her why she was, and still is, mad at him.

A hostile look appeared on Em's face. "You must be mighty drunk again, Jack, for _dear Malva_ is below deck," she spat. Em made to turn her back on Jack, but he clamped a hand around her arm and spun her back around with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Emelia, I came here to talk 'bout Malva," he told her.

Em threw him a disgusted look. "Funny, how she is the root of all the problems on this ship!" Em hotly told him. "Maybe you should have never let her set foot on the Pearl!" she added maliciously. Em wrenched her arm away from Jack and stalked away, but Jack was in hot pursuit and once again grabbed her by the arm and forced Em to face him.

"I couldn't just let her rot on-!" Jack suddenly paused and looked over to his right side towards the steering wheel, where Michael and Gibbs still stood, watching the drama unfold in front of them. Jack quickly straightened up his composure and let go of Em's arm. Clearing his throat, he sternly ordered them to leave for the lower decks.

Em shot Jack a black look. "You do not order a member of _my _crew!" she yelled.

Jack's face remained impassive, and he gave a curt nod towards the two first mates as they passed their captains. When Jack turned his head to face Em, he deftly raised his left hand and caught Em's hand by the wrist, inches from the side of his cheek where she would have slapped. He made a clicking noise with his tongue and shook his head sadly. "Ye gotta stop doin' that, darling," he told her.

Em tugged at her hand, but Jack wouldn't let go. "Well then you shouldn't do things that get women to slap and/or hit you!" she told him stubbornly.

Jack rolled his eyes in an exaggerated gesture before letting go of Em's wrist. "Before our little spectators were dismissed, I was going to say that I couldn't just let Malva Dame rot on Rum Cay-"

"Well I would have!" Em shouted and flung her arms around.

Jack bit back a smile. "I know ye would have, love, but being a gentleman"-Em snorted at this-"I could not bring meself to forsake the lass," he told her.

Through gritted teeth, Em said, "Was that before or _after_ you decided you needed another woman to keep you company in these cold nights?"

Surprising Em, Jack took her by the arms and forcefully drew her closer to the warmth of his body. "Dammit Emelia, I did not sleep wiv Malva! Whate'er she has been tellin' ye is not true!" he told her fiercely. "You are my lass, and only you!"

"And why should I believe you?" Em countered. "You are a pirate after all!"

"Aye, and same goes fer you!" Jack thundered. "So if I am to believe what you are implyin', does that mean all those times which you told me you loved me were all _lies_?"

Em's eyes widened with rage. "How dare you!" she gasped, struggling to pull away from Jack, but he kept a tight and painful grip on her arms. "How dare you, of all people, accuse me of infidelity when you have done everything to protect Malva while forgetting completely about me!"

Jack suddenly grew quiet so that the only sound they could hear was the deep breaths Em took as she tried to calm herself down. When finally Jack spoke, his tone was somber and regretful. "Was I makin' ye feel this way fer the last few days, Emelia?" he asked her softly.

Em stopped struggling and closed her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry. She soon found Jack's lips pressed hard against her own, and she gave into him, kissing him back equally hard. Tears slowly streamed down the sides of her face as she shrugged off Jack's hands and wrapped her hands around his neck at the same time as his arms pressed her closer to his body.

High up in the crow's nest, Michael and Gibbs silently watched this touching scene.

"Just as it rightfully should be," Michael muttered with a sigh.

Neither noticed that Malva Dame had also seen everything from when Jack ordered them to the lower decks. Neither noticed that she stole away back towards the cabin as quietly as she had come out from it with a look of deep loathing across her pale face.

However, Joshamee Gibbs did notice a lone seagull that had been circling the masts for quite some time swoop down and land softly onto the clean main deck. Gibbs' brow creased into a worried expression.

His younger companion saw this look and turned his head towards Gibbs. "What's the matter, Gibbs?" Michael whispered so as not to be found out by their captains.

Gibbs nodded frantically towards the seagull milling around the deck, pecking about for any supper accidentally left over.

"A bird landed on the deck. Means trouble is on the horizon, lad."


	35. Sickness and Cat Fights

When Em woke up very early the next morning, the third day since Malva Dame joined the crew, she felt as if her world had literally been turned upside down. Fighting the urge to throw up in the crow's nest then and there, she quickly rolled over to the side and swung onto the ropes. The motion of the ship, though very light, made her very dizzy. By the time she had reached the last five feet of the net ladder, she slipped off and crumpled face down on the wooden deck.

Up in the crow's nest, Jack Sparrow heard a dull and loud _thud_ sound familiar to a body crashing on the ground, and then, a harsh retching sound pierced the cool air. Thinking it was just one of the crew members with a hangover, Jack gave a nod to Cotton before walking over towards the stairs. When he reached the top step, his heart jumped in alarm as he watched Emelia Kraven at the foot of the main mast face down and throwing up horribly on his deck.

Reacting quickly, Jack practically sailed down the stairs. In no time at all, he was kneeling right next to her, holding her long hair out of the way as he softly whispered words of comfort into her jewel-encrusted ear.

When Em seemed to have stopped, Jack was careful to pick her up and carry her away from the mess. He placed her on her feet near the bow of the ship and let her hold onto the rail for support before bombarding her with his questions.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Em wiped the spittle on her chin with a shaky hand and answered, "I woke up feeling as if some parasite was making a home of my stomach." She saw the look of concern Jack now wore and tried to wave it away. "It's passed now. No more worries," she reassured him, but she didn't even convince herself.

"Oh I won't be worrin' because I'm makin' ye see Ozz," Jack told her sternly.

Cotton's parrot flapped its colorful wings nervously as the angry voices of the two captains erupted from the main deck. Even the normally stoic Cotton shifted just as nervously behind the great steering wheel.

"_Rawk_. Ship steering into dangerous waters," the parrot said, and soon enough, a distinct sound of someone being slapped across the face rang.

Cotton chanced moving away from the steering wheel and towards the balcony railing. Squinting his eyes, he saw Jack kissing Em before she pulled away and slapped him again. This time it was hard enough to send him spinning a full circle and toppling on the deck. When Jack lifted himself back onto his feet, Em was already heading towards the hatch leading to the lower decks.

Em found Ozz Green awake and in the galley. He looked like he had just woken up by the droopy look in his eyes. Ozz looked up when he heard someone at the doorway. Recognizing his captain in the dim lighting, he gave Em a nod and a crooked smile. "'Ey, cap'n. Wuldn't 'spect ye here this early," he told her, waving her towards him.

Em shook her head and stepped inside the galley. "I'm down here for your medical advice on Jack's orders," she grumbled.

Ozz raised a curious dark red eyebrow before taking a seat on an empty crate. "That right, eh?" Ozz ran a hand over the dark shadow growing on his chin and sighed tiredly. He kicked another empty crate towards Em and told her to sit down. "What happened?" he inquired.

"I woke up this morning and threw up quite horribly," Em recounted the event in as much detail as she could muster.

Ozz nodded his head thoughtfully. "I dun't 'spose ye've been feelin' well of late?" he asked. "Did ye drink heavily last night?"

Em shook her head. "I didn't drink at all last night. Rum hasn't appealed much to me for the past few days," she told him. "Lately, it has been making me feel very queasy. I've been sticking to drinking water, but I think that the water's starting to spoil."

"Aye, it is. Some of the crew are gettin' sick cuz of it. We need to get to port soon." Ozz sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. When it came to being the ship's doctor, Ozz knew how to do his job well. "Anythin' else?"

"I've been feeling very tired aside from feeling sick. Very recently, my body constantly feels weak. Performing the simplest of tasks takes up all my energy. It's like something is sucking the energy out of me."

"Dun't go the way o' Gibbs and believe in those kinds of spirits now," Ozz cautioned, but all in good humor. He motioned for her to get up and opened her mouth. He stood up and looked at her teeth and gums. "Yer gums aren't swellin' or bleedin'," he observed once he stepped away. "But ye said yer tired, have muscle weakness, and sickness. Do ye feel sick all the time?"

"Only in the morning."

"The morning," Ozz repeated to himself. "Any rashes?" Em shook her head and Ozz nodded. "I dun't think it's scurvy." Ozz was silent for a moment, and in that time, his serious look grew grim.

"When was the last time ye had yer monthly courses?" he finally asked her.

Em looked at him peculiarly before replying, "A week or two before we met Jack in Tortuga, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Ozz looked into her dark brown eyes with a mysterious glint in his own muddy green eyes. "It may 'ave to do wit _ever'thing_."

* * *

Ozz assured Em that she'd be fine, yet cautioned her to not overtax herself. Fully having been informed by Ozz of her condition and knowing Em wasn't likely to listen to the doctor, Jack tried to make her stay in his cabin, but ended up being slapped again. So he just left her relatively alone but kept his eyes on her like a trained hawk.

Em passed the rest of the morning quite peacefully until Malva Dame made her appearance on the main deck.

Em noticed when she spotted the vixen standing at the doorway leading into Jack's cabin that Malva's dress (which was really one of Em's disguises) was pulled so low that the neckline showed off the tops her plump breasts for all to see.

"That dress is ruined." Em turned to Michael. "She's whoring _them_ off for Jack, no doubt," Em muttered in his ear as they both watched the woman in question saunter towards the helm.

Michael rolled his sky blue eyes and struck a grin. "Well, at least Jack made it clear last night that you're wholly his." He snickered at the appalled look that found itself across Em's face.

"You and Gibbs were spying on us!" Em exclaimed and batted her hand at her childhood friend.

"So was Malva."

Em immediately dropped her playful mood and turned her attention back towards the helm as Michael moved off to help Briggen raise the foremast's sails near the bow. She moved closer towards the helm, making sure to not make her presence known as she peaked through the wooden pegs of the balcony.

Malva leaned into Jack's arm and smiled coyly up at him. "'Ello Jackie," she crooned and batted her long eyelashes. "Lovely day it is."

Jack made a derisive noise with his throat before saying, "It would be lovelier is ye didn't show yer face."

Em moved quickly away and pretended to be surveying the mast before her as Malva stomped down the wooden stairs. As Em felt her approach, she decided it was the time to turn around to face Malva.

"Good day, Miss Dame," Em greeted her coolly, but they both heard the bit of triumph in Em's tone.

Malva stopped in front of Em and gave her a look filled with loathing. She took a step closer to Em until they were eye to eye with a foot of space between them. "I _will_ make him mine," Malva hissed.

Em's eyes frosted over. "Is that a threat?" she challenged.

Jack was startled by the sudden uproar that seemed to be taking place down on the main deck. He exchanged fleeting looks with Cotton before striding towards the stairs.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" Jack demanded as he pushed through the men. They were all crowded around the center mast. "This ain't a bar room - dear Lord!" Jack exclaimed as he surveyed the sight in front of him. He may not want to admit it, although he certainly would, but watching Emelia Kraven and Malva Dame fighting right at his feet was exhilarating.

"I have ten doubloons on Cap'n Kraven!"

"Fifteen fer Malva to throw 'er down!"

"I call fifty for Em to throw her down!" Michael yelled. He was smacked upside the head by Jack, who looked torn between looking stern and also joining the betting exchange.

"As much as I would _love_ to see this progress even further, I sadly must insist as the most capable and responsible captain that this be stopped," Jack told him.

Michael shrugged, and then nodded.

Jack smiled widely and clapped Michael on the shoulder. "Good, good. Now get along there!" Jack started to turn away, but suddenly Jack the monkey appeared before him, screaming right in Jack's face. Jack shouted in alarm, took his pistol from his belt, and fired at the primate.

Michael looked from Jack, to the two women fighting in front of them, and then back to Jack. "You're joking, right?"

Putting his pistol away, Jack rolled his eyes and turned back to Michael. "Alrigh'." Together they plunged into the fray. Jack grabbed Em and Michael grabbed onto Malva. At Jack's signal, they pried the two women apart with much difficulty.

"Let go of me, you scum-sucking blaggard!" Em yelled as Jack put his strength in restraining her from going at it again with Malva. Her long hair was wild and her fists and limbs were flying. 

Malva was in a similar condition, although her lip was bleeding. Em seemed unscathed.

Mr. Gibbs moved in front of Em, reared his hand back, and dealt her a blow across her face. Em instantly fell silent and her limb dropped back to her sides. She took a deep breath before pushing away from Jack.

"'_Thank you, Jack. I really appreciate your help, Jack_,'" Jack mocked in a high-pitched voice.

Em rounded on him and opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly, the Pearl lurched to the starboard side.

"What's happening?" Gibbs shouted over the confusion as everyone tried to grab some sort of anchorage.

Jack turned his head towards the helm and roared at Cotton, "What the bloody hell are ye _doing_ to me ship?"

"Jack! Em!"

The two captains looked up at the crow's nest and saw the excited look on Chase Turnbull's rugged face. He was pointing out to the distance in front of the ship. "There's a merchant ship abroad!" he shouted gleefully.

The Pearl gave another lurch, and it was righted again. Everyone has a split second to get their bearings before Jack and Em began ordering them about. They were not going to miss a chance to restock their diminished supplies. Jack took a step towards the helm, but heard someone throwing up behind him.

Spinning around on his heel, he saw Em bent over the rail and emptying her stomach into the sea below. His dark eyes looked at her, and then at Malva, who was trying and failing miserably to act like she wasn't there. Jack made a face before stopping the nearest person that was closest.

"Throw Miss Dame in the crew's quarters," he told them sternly. Once the man left to complete his order, Jack cautiously made his way towards Em as she came up for air.

"Darling, I don't think you should be here," Jack told her gently as he placed an arm around her waist and began steering her towards his cabin.

Em tried to push away, but Jack tightened his hold on her. "Jack, my men need me," she argued.

Jack shook his head. "Emelia, this is only a raid, not a great battle. We can handle this without you," he reassured her. He felt Em begin to struggle harder under his arm and cursed her stubbornness. In a quick decision, Jack bent forward and threw Em over his shoulder and strode into his cabin with her kicking and screaming. He tried to place her carefully on her feet, but with a kick in his gut, he ended up throwing her onto the hard wooden floor.

With all the speed he possessed, Jack ran towards the door before Em had the time to recover, yelling, "Sorry luv, but this is for yer own good!"

"Jack Sparrow!" Em shouted, but her voice was shut off with the slam of the double doors. Em huffed and slowly got to her feet. She trudged over to Jack's writing desk and collapsed on his chair, exhausted. Jack was going to get it when the raid was finished.


	36. A Day for Lovers

Jack's Sparrow's pride and joy, the Black Pearl, carefully navigated into Port Nassau's large harbor with fresh white sails on all three of her masts. Nassau was notorious for being a favorite pirate hideaway, and the large bustling town had its own district that could have been Tortuga's twin sister.

From the cabin's open bay windows, Em could faintly hear the guns shots and yells that one would normally associate with a pirate haven. Her upper lip curled into a smirk until she looked back into the large oval mirror Jack was so kind to provide for her. The beautiful figure in front of Em scowled at her. She was wearing another one of her gown-disguises. Although they were going to stay in the Pirate Haven (which the district was conveniently called), they still had to go through the more reputable parts of the port to get to the district. To most specifically Emelia Kraven, this meant that she had to dress like a proper lady.

In all, the dress was not anything hideous. It was made of blood red silk with black lace, and it complimented her lean and lithe figure. The neckline dipped low, but not low enough so that Em didn't feel like her breasts were practically hanging off. Her long hair was still down, but on this occasion, Michael and Ozz forced her to put half of her hair up with an ornate pearl hairpiece they had recently swiped from the merchant ship raid yesterday. Even with no makeup on, Em looked good enough to be mistaken for a rich merchant's daughter.

"You look nice," said a warm voice from behind her.

Em spun around and then scowled at Michael's grinning tanned face. "Belay that kind of talk!" Em told him. She pressed a hand on her stomach and winced as if she were in pain. Em silently cursed about the evils of fashion as she tried to take slow, deep breaths.

Michael looked on with concern. "You're not going to collapse when we're in town, right?" he asked her.

Em shot him a black look. "If I do, it's going to be on your head!" she hissed. Em straightened up before hitching up her skirts to strap on a small dagger and her pistol to her legs.

"Woohoo!"

"'Ey cap'n, that dress look pretty good from up here!" Chase Turnbull shouted from the crow's nest.

Em scowled as she emerged from Jack's cabin with Michael close behind with another grin across his face.

"Will ye all quit gawkin' and get back to work with berthing me ship?!" Jack yelled at them all from the helm. He left the wheel to Mr. Gibbs and walked towards Em as she reached the top of the stairs. He smiled widely as his dark eyes drank her in. "You look marvelous," he complimented her. When he noticed the scowl on her face, his eyebrow rose. "I'm sensing that the dress is not to your taste?"

If possible, the scowl on Em's face deepened. "Of course it isn't! Especially since in a matter of moments we will be going to the Pirate Haven where I will be raped from head to toe by the eyes of sleazy and dirty pirates and other lowlifes!" she fumed.

Jack grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to him before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. When they pulled away, Jack told her, "As if I'd let any of them get near you."

At first, Em smiled softly, but in a second she had pulled away and slapped Jack hard across the face. "Don't think I'd forgotten about yesterday when you locked me in your cabin!" she yelled at him and moved away.

Jack slowly turned to look at Gibbs with a bewildered look on his face. "What the bloody hell just happened there?" he demanded.

Gibbs shrugged and only muttered, "_Women_ . . ."

The moment the Pearl was docked and the docking tariff paid to the harbormaster, Em strode over towards the main mast where Malva sat near on an empty crate with a sullen look on her face. Since the fight, Malva had been somewhat subdued and has kept her distance from both Em and Jack. Em told her that her time was up and she was no longer wanted.

"Not that you were actually _wanted_ in the first place," Em told her spitefully.

Malva slowly rose from the crate and gave Em a disdainful look with an ugly twist of her mouth. "It's not like I _wanted_ to stay on this stupid boat," Malva spat.

With the company of Joshamee Gibbs, Em watched as Malva sashayed down the gangplank, hands on hips that swayed to and fro.

"I always hated sour grapes," Em remarked as they watched the last of Malva Dame disappear amongst the bustling crowd.

Gibbs looked at her skeptically from the corner of his eye, but gave her a crooked smile all the same. "Well," he started as he turned towards the helm, "at least she didn't do a good job trying to take _this_ ripe grape, eh?" Gibbs thrust his thumb towards the general direction of the steering wheel, where Jack was trying to get the crew's attention.

Em chuckled and followed Gibbs towards the helm. "Alright boys, shut your traps and listen for directions!" she called as she stood next to Jack. She gave him a crisp nod to continue. She was still angry at him, he could tell.

Jack cleared his throat. "We're stayin' here fer a day, but I want to make the most of it, gents. Gibbs will direct half of ye scallywags to the supplies we need for the rest of our journey. Michael will direct the other half for repairs on the Pearl. Only when yer done can any of ye go to the Pirate Haven!"

The crew roared in agreement before moving away. Having not said a word through the whole thing, Em took it as her cue to leave and made towards the gangplank.

Jack noticed Em was not beside him when he turned to her. The pirate looked around. He spotted her striding towards the gangplank and hurried after her.

"You really shouldn't be going anywhere alone, especially if you intend to go into where I know you were intending on going to," he told Em as he fell into step with her. Because he didn't bother to dress like he was part of the society, Jack received many peculiar and suspicious looks as they walked through the winding cobbled streets.

Em grabbed onto her skirts tighter and took a sharp turn into an alleyway that they both knew was going the opposite direction from where the Pirate Haven district was. Jack rolled his eyes as he quickened his pace. "Where are you going?" he badgered her as they passed another shop.

Em kept her lips firmly pressed together and tried to ignore him. _Tried_.

"Would you shut up?!" Em finally exploded on Jack as they entered a slightly deserted area with a fountain at the center.

Jack stopped walking and smiled; glad he broke her silent treatment on him. "Are ye that angry that I did somethin' to protect you?" he asked coyly.

Em glowered up at him and took a step closer. "I didn't need your protection!" she said hotly. With her full attention centered on his face, Jack softly pressed his hands on her hips and lowered his face closer to her lips.

"Ye didn't _need_ it, but I gave it to ye anyway," he softly told her.

Em's hands found themselves around the back of Jack's neck. "I didn't ask for you to give me protection," she told him. Her lips caressed his as they talked like they were the only ones that existed in the world.

Jack smirked as he watched her eyes vanish behind her eyelids. He felt her try to breathe in a sigh under the corset he felt underneath the fabric of her dress. "Just like ye didn't ask fer this?" he teased before claiming her mouth with his.

* * *

Oswald Green hadn't been to Port Nassau in four years since he had first been driven out. He had been falsely accused of killing a fisherman with considerable influence in the area, but he did not have any proof to back up his claims that he was innocent. Now, as he hurried through the reputable streets towards Pirate Haven, Ozz felt like a criminal on the run with a floppy hat covering his short, dark red hair and his murky green eyes.

When he sensed himself in safe ground, Ozz threw away the hat to a nearby drunkard and took off towards the nearest bar in search of a particular someone. He tried at least five bars until he came up to the sixth one called The Bearded Lady.

Ozz sidled up to the nearest pretty barmaid and asked her if she knew the whereabouts of one Nuala Beathan.

To Ozz's relief and secret pleasure, the barmaid nodded. "She be in the kitchens," the barmaid said. She gave Ozz a closer look. "Ye be 'er brother?" she asked Ozz, but he never answered because he had turned away from her and was now making towards the door that led to the kitchens.

It was steaming hot when Ozz entered the kitchen. His pores screamed for the cold air. Ozz noticed how crowded it was with various pots and pans laying everywhere. He was careful not to brush into the piles of dirty dishes that nearly reached up to his waist as he slowly walked into the room. Squinting his eyes against the steam rising from the food cooking in the pots, Ozz craned his neck about until he spotted the person he was looking for over in the far corner where a water pump and large wooden dish bucket was located.

As quietly as he could, Ozz crept towards his victim. As he drew closer, he could see that the woman's thin dress was slightly lopsided on her thin frame so that, like her name meant, the dress revealed one of her fair tan shoulders. Ozz stopped two feet behind her. She hadn't felt his presence. Her short blonde hair just barely brushed her shoulders as she tried to keep blow away from her view while she scrubbed the pot in her hands. In one fluid motion, Ozz leaned forward, placed his calloused hands on her small hips, and began planting soft kisses on her naked shoulder.

The woman cried out in alarm. She dropped the pot with a loud bang. Grabbing the nearest knife, she spun around and pressed it against the neck of her abuser. "I swaer on the Lord tha' I'll cut yer 'aed oof-"

"Nuala! It's me, ye daft woman! Ozz Green!" Ozz shouted above Nuala's screams.

Nuala instantly stopped and dropped the knife she held in surprise. When Ozz's words finally set into her mind, she jumped into his arms and they rolled on the ground kissing and holding onto each other dearly.

* * *

"I have to admit it Jack, this is turning out to be some adventure!" Emelia Kraven remarked.

"Well luv, as long as there's still rum, it's an adventure!" Jack Sparrow chuckled and drank deeply from his rum tankard.

Night had quickly caught up with them as they sneaked around the whole port; looking at the sites at the same time Jack recounted his story of how he sacked Nassau. They decided to retire to a bar called The Bearded Lady. They were currently sitting side-by-side at a table slightly excluded from the activity going on in the bar.

"I say a toast," Em suggested and held out her half-empty tankard of grog out to Jack.

Jack turned his head towards Em with a bushy eyebrow raised. "And to what should we toast to, darling Emelia?" he asked her as he grabbed his tankard with one hand and placed his other on the small of her lower back. A slow, toothy smile spread across his tanned face. The dim light of the bar reflected off of his gold teeth.

Em smirked up at him and raised her tankard. "To the life of piracy; a life of freedom," she said.  
"To _us_," Jack added. His tankard clinked with hers and they drank deeply.

Em first finished her drink. When she saw Jack was still drinking his, she smiled before prying his tankard away from his hands.

Jack gave her an angry look, but after seeing the look on her face, smirked. "You can't resist-" but he didn't finish his sentence as Em pulled him into a forceful kiss. Jack was about to wrap his arms around her torso, but as quickly as the kiss began, Em pulled away and was on her feet, leaving Jack dazed and confused in his seat as he was half-aware that Em was heading towards the stairs.

Jack shook his head and blinked a couple of times before he sensed the challenge and leaped after Em. As he reached the second floor, he spotted the red hem of Em's dress turn a corner. He dashed after it in hot pursuit. He saw disappear again into a room farther down the hall, and smirked as he made his way towards the open door. Stepping inside the room, Jack looked around expecting to see Em, yet couldn't find her. He stopped in the middle next to the bed and placed his hands on his hips. Suddenly, Jack heard the door behind him slam shut, and he had only a moment to spin around and catch Em by the waist before she pulled him into another passionate kiss.

Em wrapped her legs around Jack's waist as he navigated them towards the bed while she quickly made work of his upper clothing. After weeks of sleeping on the cold, hard wood of the ship, the bed felt extremely soft and more inviting as Jack placed Em onto the mattress. He shook off first his heavy trench coat, and then his cotton long-sleeved shirt so that he was half-naked. Em quickly leaned forward and grabbed Jack's tricorn hat before tossing it to the side. Jack made a small noise with his throat when she did that, but other than that, had no reason to stop what they were doing.

Jack deftly unlaced the front of Em's dress, kissing the exposed skin as he went as Em laced her fingers through his wild hair.

"I can't breathe with this damn corset on!" Em huffed.

Jack didn't need telling twice as he threw off Em's elegant dress along with the growing pile of clothes behind him. Taking his knife from his leather belt, Jack cut off the tight laces of the evil contraption before also throwing off the now ruined corset. Em let out a gasp of breath. She surprised Jack by flipping him over and began undoing his trousers.

From below, Jack grinned up at her. "Not wasting a moment, eh?" he teased as his eyes traveled down her neck and rested on her exposed breasts. Aside from the loose chemise still barely hanging onto Em's figure, she was entirely naked, and this fact instantly hardened Jack underneath her pelvis.

Em leaned forward and teased Jack's jaw line with her lips. "Patience is a virtue," she whispered in his ear as she moved her lower torso aside to free his throbbing member. Once Em had thrown away his trousers, Jack couldn't take the slow torture any longer and flipped her back onto the bed forcefully as she laughed softly.

"I've come to believe Patience never had a woman with a supple body in their possession like yours!" Jack said as he practically ripped off her chemise and threw it away from his sight. As he kissed her again, his right hand slipped down to her crotch and squeezed it. His palm and fingers instantly became soaked. Jack pulled away for a brief moment to add, "And I don't believe that Patience ever had a woman who was as hot and wet as you."

Em grabbed the sides of Jack's face. "Jack, shut up and fuck me already!" she demanded and reclaimed his lips.

Jack forcefully pulled away from her lips and gave her a devilishly playful look. "I cannot comply unless you call me by me whole name," he told her.

Em threw him a look that was torn between desperation and fury. "Jaaaack!" she whined as she tried to move her hips so that his finger went into her.

But Jack moved his hand away and placed it on the inside of her thigh. Deciding to tease her just as she did to him, Jack grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and held them above her head as his other had began to slowly tease her clit.

"Who am I, luv?" he whispered softly in her ear.

Em murmured something under her breath, but Jack told her he didn't hear her. He slid a finger into her and began to slowly pump it in and out until Em was almost over the edge.

"Jack Sparrow!" Em cried as she moved her hips to meet his finger as it went in again.

"What was that again, darling? Didn't quite catch it!" Jack yelled over Em's moans. Each time she was close to an orgasm, Jack pulled out his finger, leaving her feeling very dissatisfied.

"_Captain Jack Sparrow!_" Em screamed until Jack muffled her mouth with his. He let go of her hands, letting them roam around his body as he took hold of her waist and slid his throbbing manhood into her. Jack groaned into Em's bruised mouth as he pumped in and out of her. Em tightened her legs around his waist as her orgasm came. She broke the kiss, threw her head back as best as she could against the bed, and a hearty scream erupted from her mouth as she came at the same time Jack did. He collapsed on top of her and laid his head between the valleys of her breasts, breathing as hard as she was; hearing the rapid drumming of her heart as his was.

Mindful of his weight, Jack tumbled onto her left side and gathering her up in his arms before putting the wool blanket over their tired bodies. Em turned to her side with her back towards Jack and scooted closer to his warm body. Jack placed on arm around Em and the other under his head. He leaned his head down and breathed deeply in the scent of her hair, pulling her closer to him as they fell into peaceful slumber.


	37. A Messy Morning

_He was a fish swimming in the dark, open ocean alone. There were no other fish about; no roar of the undercurrents that flowed below the waves. Down below him, he spotted a sunken ship lying peacefully on its left side. Curiosity piqued, Jack Sparrow turned to the ship and swam towards it. As he drew closer to the wreckage, he noticed to his amazement that the ship was the Black Pearl._

_  
She was still fully intact, looking more like a ship that has just been berthed than one that is sunk. Her black sails moved slowly as if imaginary wind was pushing through the torn fabric. She looked like in perfect condition except that algae were starting to form on the Pearl's surface.  
_

_However, instead of feeling alarmed, Jack looked on at his beloved ship with a feeling of weariness and almost, relief?  
_

_Jack swam closer towards the Pearl and stopped just a few feet away from the starboard side that faced towards him. He breathed deeply, and felt the cold water flow between his fishy lips._

_  
Something moving suddenly caught his attention near the cannons strapped to the sides of the ship. When he whipped his head towards them, he saw that one of the cannons was not strapped and prepared to be fired.  
_

_At him!  
_

_Behind the cannon, a ghostly skeleton held the rope that connected to the menacing weapon. Its boney visage grinned up at Jack, and a horrible cackle erupted through its rotting teeth.  
_

_"Time's up, Jack!" its deep voice told him.  
_

_A high-pitched wail came from somewhere in the ship before the skeleton pulled the rope. _

* * *

Jack woke abruptly from his nightmare by a distant sound of a gunshot. He sat up quickly on the lumpy bed he lay on; breathing hard as if he had just swam a thousand miles. Jack felt a cool hand on his naked shoulder. He cried out in alarm and slipped off the bed. Jack landed on the wooden floor face up. He groaned.

"Jack! Are you alright?"

Jack blinked a couple of times before his vision cleared. Em's head floated above his, a worried expression on her delicate features. Jack slowly sat up and shook his head. "Who screamed?" he asked groggily as Em helped him back onto the bed. He noticed she was still as naked as he was, but also saw with some amusement that she clutched the bed sheet towards her body.

Em looked at Jack weirdly. "No one screamed. Didn't you hear that gunshot?" she asked him. Without another word, she jumped off the bed and began to quickly gather her discarded clothes.

"Y'know, I seem to recall a precarious situation such as this a long time ago, except," he grinned, "we were both handcuffed together."

Em allowed a faint smile to slip across her lips. "I'll remind you now as I had reminded you then, Jack, those weren't mine. Now hurry, get dressed," she ordered him and threw his own clothes on his lap. As she passed his side of the bed, Jack grabbed her by the wrist and made her face him.

"What's this commotion about, luv?" he questioned curiously and flapped his arms around slightly.

A dark look passed across Em's visage. "That she-devil Malva seemed to have alerted the authorities about our presence in the town, and so they are coming this second to the Bearded Lady to claim our heads!" Em nearly shouted.

Jack's eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly. Not wasting another second, Jack also jumped out of the bed and began throwing on his clothes and weapons even as Em was putting on her boots. Unfortunately for the both of them, they realized that the dress Em had been wearing the day before as her disguise was both useless and a hindrance.

"No, leave the outer layer here!" Jack ordered Em when he noticed that she was trying to put on the heavy silk material over the thin, cotton under layer she wore.

Jack ran over to the window and looked out. He saw people below running out of the way as six officers marched towards the inn they stayed at. Next to the captain was Malva with a devilish grin across her pale face. Jack grimaced and looked at Em over his shoulder. "No pressure or anythin' darling, but they're nearly upon us!" he told her urgently.

"I'm done! I'm done! Quick, let's get outta here!" Em hissed as she joined him at the window. In her hands was Jack's beloved hat, which she promptly placed on his head. They watched until all the officers and Malva had disappeared into the Bearded Lady to make their move. Jack threw open the window and climbed out before turning around and helping Em climb out too. Quietly, they drew out their pistols and climbed the roof towards the back of the inn, figuring that it was safer to take the winding alleys in the back to get to the Pearl. Jack led Em towards a rather thick vine that grew on the wall and helped her climb down.

Just as Jack joined Em on the ground, the back door that led to the kitchen was thrown open. They both froze, thinking that they would be caught, but to their immense relief, they saw a familiar Irish man being ushered out through the door.

"Ye gotta get outta 'ere, coz I dun't wanna see ye at the hangman's noose!" a worried feminine voice was telling Ozz Green as delicate tanned hands were pushing him out of the door. Behind him, a woman with blond hair that didn't quite reach her fair shoulders emerged from the door also. She spotted the two other pirates watching her and her lover and froze. "Who be ye?" Nuala demanded. Her hazel eyes immediately went towards the pistols that they carried.

Ozz recognized the two captains. "Capn's! We're bein' chased down by tha' vixen!" he exclaimed. Nuala's hand descended across his head, and Ozz nearly fell forward on his face.

"Ye dolt! Thar gonna 'ear ye!" Nuala scolded him.

"We have to leave now!" Em told Ozz urgently.

They all heard a crash from the inside and immediately tensed up. From the second story, all four of them could all hear the officers yelling alarm in what Em and Jack supposed was in the room they had recently occupied. The two captains turned their heads towards each other and nodded in silent understanding. They had to get to the Pearl fast.

Ozz made to run after the two captains as they suddenly took off down the alley leading away from the Bearded Lady, but was pulled back by Nuala. Ozz spun around, took his lover up in his arms, and kissed her deeply. "I'll be back fer ye," he promised her before he, too, was gone.

Using secret alleyways and shortcuts, Em, Jack, and Ozz made it to the Pearl in a small fraction of the time that it generally took a person to get to the Pirate's Haven from where the ship was docked. To their relief, no officers had seen the trio fly through the town towards the docks. When they finally ran up the gangplank and boarded the Pearl, they discovered the ship was all ready to sail and the crew men frantic as doves among a hungry cat.

Jack lumbered towards the helm, clearing his throat loud enough to grab the attention of his first mate at the wheel. "Good work, Mr. Gibbs. I want my ship out of Nassau immediately."

"But what of the men that haven't come back from port, captain?" Gibbs queried as he nervously fingered his leather flask with one hand.

"Stick to the code," Jack replied without missing a beat.

Unfortunately for him, Em heard the last part as she walked up the stairs. "Jack Sparrow, we are not about to abandon good men in this forsaken place," she protested as she stopped right in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. Joshamee Gibbs slowly backed away from the shouting match that was sure to ensue between the captains and wisely chose to stay silent as he watched them.

"We will lose a good dozen men if we leave now!" Em fired.

"Oh, and take the chance of all o' us at the noose's end?" Jack countered.

Michael suddenly appeared behind Em and told the captains that the Pearl had finally left the port.

"No, I order you to stop this ship!" Em cried. She tried to step around Jack to get to the steering wheel, but Jack roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face him. "Listen Emelia, it's either all of us or those few men. Ye got yer heart in the right place, but we need to stick to the code."

Em's shoulders slumped as a signal of defeat. Jack sighed in relief and loosened his grip.  
"I'm not going to be satisfied about this," Em told him wearily as she allowed Jack to guide her to the steering wheel.

Jack motioned with a jerk of his head for Gibbs to leave them, and he did. Jack looked over his right shoulder, grinned suddenly, and then turned his head back to look down at Em. "Well, you'll be very satisfied about _this_."

As Jack turned her body towards the port, Em started, "What are you oh my." An almost identical grin spread across her face as she looked at the scene unfolding on the quay fifty yards behind the Pearl.

Soldiers were lined up all along the docks, staring almost helplessly as the majestic pirate ship sailed away from the port. Suddenly, Malva Dame pushed through the line. As her dark eyes rested on the two pirate captains grinning back at her from the helm, she cried out on rage. Without warning, she wrenched away one of the nearest soldier's rifle. She took aim at Jack Sparrow and pulled the trigger.

"Jack, out of the way!" Em screamed when she saw Malva take aim. Em forcibly crashed her shoulder into Jack just as Malva fired her rifle.

Jack fell onto the cold wooden floor unharmed. A moment later, Em fell heavily by his side, her back towards him. Jack sighed as he sat up. "Well," he began, "that was all the adventure I needed in the morning." He turned his head towards Em, who still had not moved since falling. "Emelia?" Jack noticed that she was curled up into a ball. Her long dark hair obscured her face from his view, but he did see that she seemed to be clutching her left side, which was the side lying on the floor. Jack placed a gentle hand on her right shoulder and turned her to face him. His eyes widened in surprise not from the look of pain etched across Em's pale face, but from the bloody stain on her left arm that was slowly growing.

"Oh bugger," Jack murmured as he moved to a crouched position over Em. As he carefully helped her to a sitting position, Jack called for Gibbs and Ozz over his shoulder. "Where did the bullet go in?" Jack asked as he slung her uninjured arm around his shoulders before slipping one arm under the bend of her legs and another around her waist. With one great heave, Jack lifted her up just as his first mate and the doctor ran up to them.

Em bit her tongue hard to keep from hissing in pain and tasted blood immediately. The bullet had only hit her upper left arm, but blood was flowing from the wound quickly. If left unattended for too long, Em could lose too much blood and even develop an infection in that area.

Ozz and Gibbs threw open the double doors leading to Jack's cabin and let him enter first before following. Jack motioned to his writing desk and Gibbs and Ozz hurried to clear off the maps and papers littering it. Gently, Jack set Em on top of the desk as Ozz flew out of the cabin to retrieve his medical tools and medicines. Jack sent Gibbs out to fetch water, cloths, and bottles of rum.

"We'll 'ave to cauterize the wound," Ozz announced as he rushed back in with his arms full. He set them down at Em's feet just as Gibbs returned with the goods Jack sent him to get.

"Mr. Gibbs, man the helm and set forth to our final destination. We can handle this without your help," Jack curtly ordered his first mate as he took one bottle of rum from him. He popped the cork and drank deeply before putting the bottle to Em's own lips.

Gibbs nodded and bid Em good luck before he left.

Ozz turned his head to Jack. "Help 'er take off the upper part o' 'er dress," he told the captain. Ozz was holding a long iron poker and was heating up the tip by the fire of the lantern hanging next to Jack's desk. When the black tip turned red hot, Ozz left the poker in the lantern and turned to Jack, signaling he was ready.

Jack unwound a thick leather strap that had been wrapped around his wrist and gave it to Em. She put it in between her teeth. Jack took the sleeve of her left arm and ripped it open in one fluid motion to reveal the bloody wound. Taking a length of rope Ozz had brought with him, he tied her left wrist to the desk leg under her, and then moved to her other side where he took her right hand in his own. He took the open rum bottle lying next to Em's head and without a word doused her wound.

Em shut her eyes tight and bit down hard on the leather strap as white hot pain ran through her like electricity. In that time, Ozz took a sharp clean knife and quickly plunged it into the heart of her wound. Despite herself, Em screamed in pain as Ozz dug into her skin with the weapon. Even when he did extract the bullet, Em still screamed. Jack moved to a position above her head and took both of her hands, placing them firmly at her sides as her body instinctively thrashed about on the table. Grinding his teeth, Jack silently watched as Ozz took the hot poker from the lantern and also plunged the tool into Em's arm. When all was done, Ozz put the bloodied poker away, took a clean cloth, and began to clean off.

Jack let go of Em's wrists and leaned back, sighing in relief. He looked down at Em and was surprised to see that she was passed out on the table.

Ozz also noticed and smiled wearily. "Let 'er sleep," he said.

Jack bent down and untied the rope from around Em's left wrist. When Ozz had cleaned up everything and left with instructions for Jack if Em should wake up, Jack Sparrow took another bottle of rum and sat on his armchair. He stared at Em's pale face that was moments before filled with pain but now was calm like the early morning sea. Jack pressed the bottle to his lips and took a sip.

"Don't fail me now, Emelia love," he murmured. His free hand went up, and he absentmindedly fingered the golden bird hanging off the necklace around his neck.


	38. The Flying Dutchman

"_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_," Captain Jack Sparrow sang softly underneath his breath as he stood at the helm with his telescope in hand. The late afternoon sun was beginning to set to the east. Beside him, Mr. Cotton and his parrot managed the steering wheel. The human looked straight into the distance as if not seeing anything at all, and every once in a while, Jack would pause in his singing to give Cotton a weird, suspicious look.

"_And really bad eggs_."

Two days it has been since they escaped Port Nassau and Em was injured from a bullet to her left arm by Malva Dame. Soon after Ozz took out the bullet and cauterized her wound, Em developed a high fever that broke this morning, to Jack's and everyone else's relief.

"_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me_."

Below in Jack's cabin, Ozz and Marty tended to Em. She was having another fitful sleep. Ozz was making Marty run in and out of the cabin for clean rags and water as the Scotsman changed her bandages and wiped the sweat off her brow.

In Em's sleep, she was muttering something about peanuts. Suddenly, yet not uncommonly anymore to the two, her eyelids snapped open to reveal her dilated eyes. Em quickly sat up in the hammock and gasped, "Peanuts!!"

Marty looked over at Ozz and remarked, "She's been doin' that a lot. Hallucinating, I mean."

Ozz took a cup full of water and slowly tipped the liquid into Em's open mouth. "Just a wee nigh'mar," he dismissed as they watched her settle back down into the hammock.

"Damn, peanuts. I don't like them," the patient kept on muttering. Em was slipping in between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her usually sleek black hair was stringy and matted with sweat. Her rich tan was paler, and there were dark circles developing under her eyes.

"Blimey, she doesn't look good," Marty said.

"Well, you don't either mate," a thin, croaky voice slipped through Emelia Kraven's cracked lips.

Marty and Ozz jumped in surprise and fixed their wide eyes on the dilated orbs staring back at them wearily.

"'Ello boys," she rasped. Em tried to swallow, but that proved difficult with how dry her throat was. Sensing this, Marty was quick to refill the cup with water and gave it to Ozz who gave it to Em.

"Where's Jack?" Em inquired after giving the cup back to Ozz. She tried to sit up, but instantly, pain shot up her left arm. She gasped and fell back into the hammock, the motion causing the thing to rock violently.

Marty and Ozz quickly set the hammock right. Before either of them could answer her question, the pirate himself answered for her from the doorway, "Missed me already, love?"

Jack Sparrow strode into the cabin. He looked at Ozz and Marty briefly just to jerk his head at the direction of the doors. They plainly got the message and left the two captains.

Em smiled wanly up at Jack. "How long has it been since we left Port Nassau?" she asked him.

Jack picked up the half-empty bottle of rum lying under the hammock and took a swig. "Nearly two days," he replied nonchalantly. "We've been sailing towards our destination," he added, seeing the alarmed look on Em's visage. Jack saw her trying to sit up and put a restraining hand on her right arm. "You won't do anyone good by injuring yourself further, darling."

Em glared up at him and tried to shake off his hand. "I won't be good for anything, either way!" she countered. When Jack didn't relent, Em cried, "Dammit Sparrow, I can take care of myself!"

Jack suddenly grabbed Em's left arm, causing her to cry out loud from the pain shooting from the wounded area and stop her struggle. The shatter of the rum bottle went unnoticed between them. Em glared at Jack but saw him looking thoughtfully back at her. Jack loosened his grip on her left arm before asking, "But who, I wonder, will take care of _you_ from _yourself_?"

A puzzled expression crossed Em's face, but she shook it off and demanded that Jack release her. For a moment, Jack's face turned hard from frustration, but then he shrugged in defeat and did as told, even assisting Em onto her feet. She wobbled at first as if she wasn't used to her sea legs anymore but soon was walking fine again.

Jack, who had taken to leaning against his writing desk, noticed that she kept herself from moving the left arm as much as possible. "What will you do with that bum arm?" he asked her.

Em shot him a look. "It's not a bum! And I'll just manage the wheel," she added.

Her counterpart rolled his dark eyes at her before taking a clean linen cloth Ozz had left and motioned for her to come towards him.

Em watched as Jack first gently bent her left arm in a right angle over her abdomen before deftly winding the cloth under her elbow and finishing with a knot on her shoulder. She smiled at Jack and thanked him with a soft kiss which left him surprised.

"That's all I get?' he asked incredulously, almost mockingly.

Em laughed. "For now, at least," she teased before turning on her heel and walking towards with door with Jack right behind her.

* * *

That night, an intense storm had come upon them. Had it not been for Chase Turnbull as the lookout and therefore one of the last to leave the deck, many of the men would have died that same night. The storm tossed and turned the Pearl as easily as a gust of wind could blow a single leaf. Tidal wave after tidal wave crashed down on the ship.

"This is an evil wind that blows us about, captain!" Mr. Gibbs shouted towards the helm where Jack Sparrow managed the wheel.

Em stood at the helm with the said co-captain, by his order, and nodded grimly in agreement. She gripped the edge of the helm's balcony with her free hand harder as she silently fought to keep steady. "I feel a bad omen coming," Em told Jack over her shoulder.

Then, as quickly as the storm had come, it abruptly abated before dying out completely. In the roar of the storm's place was deadly silence. Even the sea seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for something to happen next. The black clouds still shielded the night sky, but no rain poured anymore. Above the dark churning waters, an eerie mist had developed. Most of the crewmen were now crowding around the sides of the ship, staring warily down at haze.

Standing near one of the stairs that led up to the helm, Oswald Green put his hands on his hips and remarked, "Well, tha' couldn'a gotten no worse." As soon as those words left his mouth, the Pearl suddenly halted, throwing everyone onboard the ship to the floor.

Emelia Kraven was quick to react. She jumped to her feet and ran towards the bow, shoving back down many men in the process. "Out of the way you blimey sluggards!" When she reached the front of the Pearl, she threw off the linen bandage Jack had fashioned for her and jumped onto the ledge, ignoring the pangs of pain emitting from her injury. Em squint her eyes and looked down at the water. The bow did not look damaged, but the water around it was bubbling up peculiarly.

"What's the matter, captain?" Marty asked Em as he walked up to her with a few others.

Em moved down from the ledge and turned to them with a grave look. "It seems like we hit a reef. Tell the men to drop anchor and furl the sails!" she ordered.

From the helm, Jack's eyebrows were knitted in confusion. "I don't remember a reef being there on the map," he muttered to himself. Leaving the steering wheel, Jack made his way down the stairs. As he passed Cotton and his parrot, Jack ordered them to man the helm as he strode into his cabin.

Em sighed in aggravation as she watched Jack disappear into his cabin. She shook her head and turned back to the task of lowering a small rowboat down into the water. She and five other men were going down to inspect the bow at a closer proximity. Joshamee Gibbs would watch their progress from above.

"Poke the sides with the oars," Em ordered to the men when they had rowed to the spot. Still Em couldn't see any sign of damage to the wood. The men did as they were told, but none of them felt any sort of rock that would mean the Pearl was stuck on a reef. By now, the bubbling Em had noticed earlier was gone. Although she had a small nagging feeling in the back of her mind about all this, Em decided to push it away as she sat back in the boat. "Alright men, I think whatever that was has passed-"

Em and the men then cried out in alarm as the boat suddenly tilted violently.

* * *

In Jack's cabin, his figure was bent over the large map sprawled on his writing desk. His index finger slowly traced the path his ship was now on even as his eyes rapidly scanned the area for any sign of the reef.

"There is none!" Jack said gruffly as he straightened his body.

"Jack! Jack!"

The captain jumped at the alarm clearly present in Gibbs' call. Thinking the worse, Jack sprinted towards the doors. As he stepped outside, Jack began to ask Gibbs what the matter was, but stopped mid-sentence when a deafening sound coming from the Pearl's starboard side cut him off. Jack froze and slowly turned his head to the right side just as the most horrifying thing he had ever seen happened before his wide eyes.

A ship that was much larger than his own erupted from the sea. The ship was a terrifying sight, looking like it had come from the darkest depths of the ocean. Seaweed clung to the dead, cracked wood the ship was made of. The sails themselves were made of seaweed as they fluttered sinisterly, even though there was no wind. The bow of the ship looked like the face of a terrible creature with its pointed mouth wide open, proudly showing off the long, jagged teeth it held.

"_Oh bugger_." Jack looked towards the bow where Gibbs was standing at with a mouth open in horror, and then began to run towards him.

* * *

Em screamed as the boat completely turned over, sending her and the five other men into the cold water. She surfaced in time to witness a gigantic, fearsome ship burst forth from the ocean very close to the Pearl.

"What is that?!" one of the men shouted, voicing what they all wondered.

"It's _The Flying Dutchman_!" someone from the Pearl cried.

Em gasped and nearly choked on sea water. "No!" she cried.

Then without warning, all six of them were taken by the ankles by unseen hands in the water, and they were plunged back into the dark abyss.


	39. Unfinished Business with an Old Lover

When Em opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that she was standing back on deck, completely soaked to the bone with her five companions surrounding her in the same condition. However, the deck they stood on was not that of the Pearl's, but of the ship they had seen coming out from the ocean: _The Flying Dutchman_. The men had also come to the same conclusion, and three of them had begun to pray out loud while the other two were shaking in fright.

"Stay strong men," Em whispered harshly to her companions. However, the cold fear gripping her heart betrayed the courage she was futilely trying to show the men. All six of them were tied to the center mast.

"W-Where's the crew?" the man on Em's left asked. That was an interesting question. Nothing but the captives and the haunting sails moved. The whole ship looked abandoned. "Look captain, we still have our weapons!" the same man cried joyfully. And so they did. Their swords were still strapped to their sides, and their guns (however useless) were still at their disposal.

Em pressed her lower back to the mast. Her fear turned to relief to feel the short blade of a hidden dagger pressing against her skin under the belt she wore. Em turned her head towards the man on her left. She ordered him to reach for the dagger. With much difficulty, they maneuvered around until the man finally took the dagger from her belt and cut the rope holding her left arm free. Em then grabbed the dagger and proceeded to cut away their bindings. When they were set free, Em put away her dagger and started towards one of the rickety rowboats. "We must escape before-"

"We find you?"

Em froze mid-step simultaneously as the fearful cries of her crewmen filled her ears. Cold, clammy hands grabbed her from behind and forced her to turn around where she came face to face with the crew of the damned. The deck was now filled with them. What were once men were now creatures of the sea. Many still looked human-like, but the rest was covered by scales, spikes, seaweed, barnacles, and even whole body parts were replaced by fish parts. The creature that held Em had the head of a swordfish.

"I demand to speak with your captain!" Em shouted as she struggled from her captor's grip.

One of the crewmen who seemed like the first mate with a head of a hammerhead shark walked up to her and grinned, revealing its jagged teeth. As if he had not heard her demand, the first mate barked, "The captain wants a word with you, wench!" Laughter erupted after his words, but it quickly died away as the sounds of heavy thuds came closer. They were coming from the helm at Em's right. The crewmen began to part as their captain, Davy Jones, limped into view. The first mate gave her one last grin before stepping aside to let his captain take his place in front of her.

The female pirate instantly recoiled from the tentacles clinging like a beard to Davy Jones' face as they seemed to beckon towards her like they had a mind of their own. Davy Jones saw her revulsion and laughed. Behind him, his crew also joined. Jones lifted his claw and grabbed Em's throat, forcefully pulling her back towards him.

"What do you want with me?" Em gasped.

Jones' laughter subsided into small chuckles. "Ah, such impudence in a woman! It's a wonder why he still wants her!"

Davy Jones must have been talking to his crew because Em was confused by his words. "Who?" she demanded. Em gasped again as Jones let go of her and shoved her into her captor, laughing.

Jones started to walk away, but he spun around with a cold smirk across his face. "Captain Emelia Kraven, I have someone who has an unfinished business with you," he told her.

The next thing Em knew, she was thrown down the stairs that led down into the ship. The laughter of the crew and its captain, mixed with the final cries of her five crewmen, rang in her ears.

Em scrambled to her feet, clutching her burning left arm. She spin around, calling forth whoever it was that Jones said needed to settle "an unfinished business" with her. Despite her pain, Em unsheathed her cutlass. "Come out, you damned fiend!" she cried. Em heard footsteps from behind where the cannons were kept and spun around, sword raised. When she got a good look of the person standing in front of her, the shock from familiarity was so great that her cutlass slipped through her frozen fingers.

"Now that's not a nice way to greet a former lover, Emelia Kraven," Timmothy McIlrath rasped. Em's former skipper and _lover _fully stepped out from where he had hid. He did not fully look like the rest of his damned crewmates, but here and there on his pale wet skin were all sorts of things growing on him. Seaweed clung to his body among his soaked clothes. But underneath it all, he was still the same slimy betraying worm Em once knew. Same smirk, same wild dirt-blonde hair, same bright green eyes that glared at her. The new wildness and rage she saw in his eyes deeply disturbed her, but Em found she could not move. She watched as Tim slowly began to circle around her.

"I've made a deal with Jones. Did he not tell you that before he gave you to me?" Tim asked her nonchalantly, like a cat toying with a lost bird.

If possible, Em's hostility towards Tim grew. She balled her fists. What Tim said of Jones _giving_ her to him was making her mind reel. "No," she answered stiffly. "He only said you wanted to settle some unfinished business between us."

Tim McIlrath stopped right in front of her. He began to walk towards her and stopped with just nearly three feet in between them. "Yes, we do," he said harshly.

"You were supposed to die!" Em couldn't help shouting up at him.

Tim threw his head back and laughed. "Dear Emelia, I am technically already dead!" Tim smirked. "You see, _lover_, after you kindly left me to die, Davy Jones picked up the chest you had put me in and saved me. I struck a deal with him then and there." Tim suddenly grabbed Em's arms and pulled her towards his body, as cold as death. Em tried to wriggle free, but Tim's grip was as tight as a water snake's. Tim shook her to bring back her attention to his visage. "You see, I promised him one hundred years as his crew member only when I finished business with you, and then _kill_ you myself," he told her forcefully.

"Then kill me already!" Em hissed vehemently.

Tim moved his head closer to hers. "I won't kill you _yet_. Not until we finish business between us," he told her seriously. Without warning, Tim's dead lips roughly captured hers. Before Em could recover, Tim forced her mouth open and plunged his slimy tongue between her struggling lips. Em gagged into Tim's mouth. He truly felt like the dead. Not even kissing her any harder or more passionately could bring any warmth from him. The strong salty smell that came from Tim made Em want to gag some more. Unnoticed, Em's hand went to one of her hidden daggers in her belt. She took one in her hand and then plunged the dagger into Tim's stomach.

Tim ripped his lips from Em's. He reared his hand back before bringing it down hard across her face. "You bitch!" he yelled as Em fell in the ground at his feet. She landed face down. Instantly, pain shot throughout her body coming from her abdomen. At the same time, Em's left hand landed in the familiar handle of her cutlass. She grabbed her sword and jumped to her feet with her weapon raised towards Tim. Her eyes went to his stomach where the dagger was still lodged in. No blood flowed from the wound, and Tim looked like he didn't even notice a weapon protruding from his stomach. Em's former lover disgusted her even further when he took the dagger and pulled it out of his stomach without even flinching.

"You can't kill what's already dead," Tim shouted as he threw the dagger aside.

Em gripped her sword tighter. "Well, I can bloody try!" she cried before lunging at him. Tim quickly pulled out his own cutlass and caught her blade with his. Pushing her back, Tim quickly advanced on her, slashing to and fro. Em ducked just as Tim's blade came at her from her left. It instantly was stuck into the ship's wood. Raising her blade, Em brought it down across Tim's sword arm. The blade bit into limb just above the joint, and Em's eyes followed the severed limb as it fell to the floor. Em jumped out of Tim's reach, smirking. She was about to make a remark but stopped herself, sensing something amiss. Her eyes went to what was left of Tim's arm. Instead of seeing human muscles, fish muscle replaced them. Em watched as Tim bent down, picked up his severed arm, and brought it to the rest of the limb. To Em's horror, the muscle healed. In no time, Tim held his cutlass again and was facing Em with an evil smirk.

"I'm dead, Emelia. You've already killed me," he mocked and took a bow.

"No, I haven't yet!" Em countered as she and Tim began to circle each other, blades raised. "You have not joined Davy Jones' crew yet, and so you are not dead yet. However, you will be after I'm finished wiping the deck with you!" she shouted. Em stopped moving and pulled out her pistol with her free hand. She cocked the hammer and pointed the nozzle at Tim, who looked at her with a blank face. Em pulled the trigger, but to her shock, only sparks came from her pistol.

"Having trouble with soggy gunpowder, lover?" Tim taunted her as he slowly began to advance.

Cursing loudly, Em put her pistol away and jumped out of Tim's reach.

* * *

"Do you see them, Jack?" Gibbs asked his captain at the bow.

Jack stepped away from the edge. He turned to Gibbs with a dark look across his face. "Douse the lights, Mr. Gibbs. We have much more to worry about," he ordered before sending an even darker look towards the haunted ship next to the Pearl. Jack pulled out his telescope and pointed it towards the ship in question even as Gibbs and the crew ran around to accomplish his order.

From first sight, the ship appeared to look abandoned, but then, a head of an octopus with human-like eyes came into his vision. Jack yelled and lowered his telescope to see that the infamous Davy Jones stood in front of him in his ship.

Davy Jones smirked down at Jack and clicked his claw menacingly. "I have some business to clear with you, Jack Sparrow," Jones told him.

The next thing Jack knew, he was grabbed from behind and everything went dark. When he opened his eyes, Jack found himself standing on The Dutchman, surrounded by Davy Jones' crew with the damned captain still standing before him.

"And so it seems you have reclaimed you ship, Jack Sparrow," Davy Jones remarked as he began to pace back and forth in front of Jack.

Jack pulled away from the hands that had held onto him and lifted a hand. "Yes, I did. And may I say-"

"Are you aware of how many years it has been since I raised your ship from the deep depths of the ocean?" Davy Jones demanded. He had stopped pacing now and was giving Jack a look that dared him to lie.

"No. No I am not," Jack answered easily. He shrugged. "Sorry mate, but when you're marooned on a godforsaken island for so long, you tend to lose track of time," he added happily.

Jones suddenly appeared right in front of Jack, face dark with anger. "_Twelve years!_" Jones thundered. "Twelve years it has been since we struck our deal! We had agreed that in thirteen years of you being captain to your ship, you will become a member of my crew for one hundred years." Davy Jones brought his face closer to Jack's, who recoiled away from him. "One more year, Jack Sparrow," Davy Jones said. A sinister grin lit up his grim, fishy face as he moved away from Jack. Jones gestured towards the hatch behind him.

Jack now heard sounds of fighting coming from it. He turned back to Jones with a wary look.

Jones' grin grew wider. "When that day comes, I assure you that you will not be lonely." Jones shook his head. "But let us forget the lovers' business happening below and continue with our own business."

Jack's eyes widened when he realized what Jones' words meant. He immediately went pale and looked back towards the hatch.

* * *

Every time Em cut off a body part, Tim always regenerated. It seemed nothing would stop him until she was dead. After sticking her sword in Tim's back for the umpteenth time without him feeling any pain, she pulled her weapon out and began to back away from him as he spun around to face her. Em gasped as her back bumped into a wooden pillar and a lantern above her accidentally hit her on the head. Without a second to lose, Em spun away from Tim's blade as it came down on her. She heard the thud of the blade lodging into the wood as she ran around to the other side of the pillar. Em raised her weapon as Tim struggled to free his own. In her haste, Em's blade broke the lantern. The fiery oil quickly drenched her blade, and the flame from the lantern consumed it. Without a thought, Em brought it down Tim's sword arm.

A painful cry exploded from Tim's mouth. Unlike before, his severed arm hissed as smoke rose from the wound. Seawater leaked from the wound and dead fish fell onto the ground from Tim's arm.

Em stepped back and watched all this. Then she realized that the fire was his weakness. Em looked around for another lantern and spotted one hanging above one of the cannons. She ran towards it.

Through his pain, Tim bent down and picked up his cutlass with his left hand. He spun around and saw Em with her back towards him, reaching for a lantern above a cannon. He bounded towards her with his cutlass raised just as he heard the sound of breaking glass.

Blade once again ablaze, Em turned around just as Tim brought his blade down on her. She caught his wrist and then plunged her cutlass straight into the part of his chest where his heart should have been.

Tim's green eyes widened from shock. He first looked down at the burning blade in his heart, and then he looked at Em, whose serious dark brown eyes were illuminated by the fire.

"_Siren_," Timmothy McIlrath gasped before Em pulled out her cutlass from his heart. She let his body fall onto the cold wet floor. Em paid Tim one last courtesy by bending down and closing his blank green eyes. She heard heavy footsteps coming from in front of her. Em quickly stood back up and raised her cutlass.

"Don't need none of that, Miss Kraven," a gruff, yet familiar voice told her. One of Davy Jones' crewmen stepped out from the shadows. Like Tim, he looked more human than crustacean. His skin was equally pale, seaweed clung to his soaked body, and even a starfish seemed molded into the side of his face, but he still distinctly looked human.

Em narrowed her eyes at him. His voice was so familiar to her, and even his human part looked familiar. "Have I known you from somewhere?" she asked him suspiciously as she watched him come forward and bend over Tim's body.

The crew member turned his head back to her and smiled a bit sadly. "Maybe," he said. "But I know that your brother Tobias had known me better," he added.

Em took a surprised step away from him. "William Turner?" she gasped.

Bootstrap Bill chuckled. "Aye, but your brother like to call me Bill and you could do the same," he told her as he held out his hand.

Em shook it and sheathed her cutlass. "How did you become one of them?" she asked as he ushered her towards the stairs leading up to the main deck.

"I made a deal with the devil," Bill Turner said simply as he watched her climb up.

Em looked down at him sadly. "I'm sorry for that," she told him.

William Turner shook his head. "Don't be lass. I made my decision. Just as Jack had made his," he added loud enough for her to hear.

Before Em could question him further, multiple cold hands grabbed her upper arms and hauled her onto the main deck. When the hands let her go, she came instantly face to face with Davy Jones. She noticed he had a slightly surprised look across his fishy face.

Em placed her hands defiantly on her hips and told him, "It seems you are now one crew member short, Davy Jones."

At first, a deafening silence met her words, but then Jones began to chuckle which grew into full scale laughter. When he had calmed down, he told Em that he regrets that she is not part of his crew.

"_Yet_," he growled, his good humor turning quickly sour. "You will one day join me, just like our acquaintance Jack Sparrow will do the same. Very soon, I may add." Davy Jones moved out of Em's view to reveal Jack, who had been standing uncharacteristically silent behind him.

Disregarding Jones' words, Em's eyes lit up joyfully at who she assumed was her savior. "Jack!" she cried and ran towards him with her arms outstretched. However, her hands only caught air as Jack stepped to the side, letting her pass him. Em spun around on her heel as the crew's mocking laughter filled her ears. "Jack Sparrow, what is the bloody matter with you?" she demanded. She tried to come near him, but he strangely kept his distance.

Davy Jones burst into cold laughter once more. "What, Jack Sparrow? You are not pleased to see _your woman_?" he spat the last part like venom.

Em ignored him, turning her whole attention to Jack. "Jack?" she whispered concernedly. She reached for him, but Jack stepped away and turned to Davy Jones. "Could it be possible for you to lend us a boat, mate?" he asked stiffly.

Jones slowly grinned and chuckled.

Jack and Em rowed back to the Pearl as fast as they could. No one talked to each other. Dead silence hung thick between them. When they had finally reached the Pearl, Jack was quick to order the crew to set sail immediately.

"Where are the others, captain?" Gibbs asked Em as she leaned forward onto the railing and watched the other ship.

"Dead," she told him in a flat monotonous tone. She didn't even look at him once.

"Sweet Jesus and Mother help their souls," Gibbs muttered underneath his breath as he walked away.

Sudden commotion coming from The Flying Dutchman drew everyone's attention towards the damned ship. At the Dutchman's helm, Davy Jones nodded at Jack, who was at his own helm. "One more year, Sparrow," Jones called. Then to everyone's amazement, the ship began to plunge back into the ocean until all that was left of the feared ship were churning waves.

Jack's eyes widened. "Movement!" he suddenly shouted. "I want bloody movement or I'll keelhaul the lot of you!"

Every man around Em began to scramble to their duties. She could feel their desperation, equal to Jack's, at wanting to move on from this spot. When she finally turned away from the water, she saw Jack moving quickly towards his cabin out of the corner of her eye. Vividly remembering his cold attitude towards her back on the Dutchman, Em raced after him. Just as she was nearly upon him, Jack entered his cabin and shut the doors behind him. Swearing colorfully, Em brought her boot up and kicked open one of the doors. She stormed inside, yelling Jack's name.

"What the bloody hell did you do _that_ for?" Jack shouted at her from behind his writing desk.

Em strode up to him until there was no desk in between them. "Why did you act like you did back on Davy Jones' ship?" she yelled at him. Without waiting for him to answer, she did. "You were a git! A blaggard! You acted like you despised me, like you didn't _know_ me! Why? _Why?_" she demanded. Tears were brimming and threatening to fall.

Jack rolled his eyes. He reared his hand back and slapped her hard. Em instantly fell silent. She looked at Jack with a sullen face as he began to talk.

"I had my reasons for how I acted," he began. "You have heard all the stories about dear old Davy Jones. He could not be shown of what we have."

"Oh, and what did that octopus head mean when he said that you will join his crew very soon, then?" Em demanded.

Jack looked away from her for a moment before turning back to her with an easy grin across his face. "I clearly don't know what you talk about, darling," he said.

Now it was Em's turn to slap him. When Jack once again turned back to her, it was to see a stony look on her face. "Well then, I also don't clearly know what you talk about '_of what we have_'," she spat before walking out.


	40. Even Dead Men Tell Lies

It took three days until the Pearl reached the Spanish providence of Florida. In that time, they had come across another hurricane and had countlessly veered off course just to escape the Royal Navy who was on the look for them. Yet, most importantly of all, Em and Jack had not spoken a single word to each other unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Land ho!" Chase Turnbull shouted from the crow's nest. Soon, activity below began to pick up.

Em ran around yelling orders. Seeing this, Jack quickly followed her around, repeating her orders.

"Hoist the sails!" Em shouted.

"Hoist the sails!"

"Lower the starboard side anchor!"

"Lower the starboard side anchor!" Jack quickly repeated.

Em spun around on her hell and glared up at Jack. "What are you _doing_?" she demanded.

Jack pressed a finger to her chest. "What are _you_ doing?" he countered hotly.

Em was about to open her mouth, but at that moment, Jack the monkey decided to drop on her shoulder from above. The monkey opened its mouth and shrieked at Jack.

Jack screamed as he jumped away from Em. The latter suppressed a chuckle. However, her good humor was gone in an instant when she came face to face with the end of Jack's pistol. Em glared at him. "You can't kill him. You know that, you fool," she hissed.

"Um, captains?"

Em and Jack snapped their heads towards Gibbs and shouted, "_What?_"

Jack's first mate jumped in surprise, but pointed towards the coast. The captains spotted the mouth of a river going inland a few yards away from the spot on the beach the Pearl was now headed at. Em and Jack briefly glanced at each other before yelling, "Beach the ship!" They parted ways quickly with Jack to the helm and Em and the monkey to the port side of the ship.

Michael walked up to Gibbs, who still stood where the captains had left him, looking perplexed. "I wonder what happened between them this time," he said.

Gibbs cast a dark look in his direction. "Bad luck," he replied gruffly.

They berthed the ship near to the mouth of the river. Three long boats were lowered into the water and taken to the mouth of the river. After some debate, a little more than half of the crew would go while the rest keep watch of the Pearl. Jack had won over in the end by convincing Em that even if they became immortal, they still needed a ship.

"And that means not getting my dear Pearl blown to bits by the Royal Navy," he added over his shoulder before climbing down the ladder going down to the long boats.

Em huffed, defeated momentarily, and followed him into the same long boat. Under one arm, she carried the old map of the Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon. With the captains leading the way, the three long boats began rowing up the river, deeper inland. No one spoke a word, which was good for both Em and Jack, both of whom were barely even looking at each other. Em was fixed on her map, and Jack was concentrating on the river path ahead. As they rowed deeper, the men became victims of Florida's infamous mosquitoes.

Ozz, who sat in the boat with the two captains, leaned forward towards Em and whispered in her ear, "Many o' the men could die from malaria."

Em threw him a blank look over her shoulder. "This is why we are going to a fountain that's going to make us live forever," she told him before turning back to the front.

As time passed, the river grew narrower. Soon, Em and Jack were forced to order their men to climb out of the boats and carry them over their heads. The clear water went up to their hips, but even the coolness of the river could not drive away the heat that grew. The trees above shaded them from direct sunlight, but what light that did penetrate their leafy cover burned.

Still no one spoke. No one wanted to complain when they knew that they were so close to immortality. Besides, there was a chance that no voice of theirs could be heard over the cacophony of noise coming from their surroundings. The forest that bordered the river was home to many noises: hisses, snaps, cracks, growls, and cries of mysterious creatures. Many of the men made the sign of the cross over themselves, and Jack the monkey clung closer to Em's body.

Suddenly, coming from the back of their group, everyone heard someone scream. A splash came after, and then silence. The group stopped moving instantly. All of them strained their ears and their heads for any sign that the nameless crew member was still alright. However, the men that had been closest to the commotion were now beginning to freak out. Their worry began to spread through the rest of the men until Em and Jack had a group of men that were on the verge of abandoning them.

Em ducked out from under the head boat, yelling for the men to get their heads straight. "He merely slipped and must have hit his head on a rock and drowned," she suggested gruffly. "You all are being a bunch of lily-livers!"

Someone near the back began to protest. "B-But, there's no body-" In a second, the man screamed and another loud splash was heard.

Em spun around and locked wide eyes with Jack. Jack moved away from the boat and shouted, "Effects out, men! Out of the river, now!" A mad scramble met his words as the boats were thrown off the men's shoulders at the same time they made a mad dash for the trees. At that moment, more screams and splashes were heard. Jack the monkey hopped off of Em's shoulder and onto a tree branch above her head. Taking his lead, Em jumped up, caught the branch, and swung herself on the limb just as she heard a splash come from where she had been in the river. As she looked down, Em screamed as she laid eyes on an open mouth full of sharp bloody teeth.

"_Alligators!_" Someone shouted from the trees.

"Jack!" Em screamed as she spotted her fellow captain a few yards away from her branch. Jack was still standing in the river. He had his pistol out and was shooting the carnivorous reptiles, but they were still closing in on him. To everyone's horror, they spotted more alligators coming into the river from the forest and joining the circle that was surrounding Jack Sparrow. They all saw one of the alligators swim closer from behind Jack. When Em was about to warn him, a large grey animal suddenly erupted from the river. It opened it snout-like mouth, clamped down on the alligator, and threw it into the trees. More of these same grey creatures erupted all around the scaly predators.

"Jack!" Gibbs cried from a branch above the fray. He threw down the end of a length of rope to Jack, who grabbed it and tied it around his waist. With a great heave, Gibbs pulled Jack onto the branch beside him. When attention returned to what was happening below them, they saw that the water was now still and tinted red. Gone were the alligators and the grey creatures that had saved Jack.

When a few men were brave enough to venture out of the trees, Em hopped down the branch and into the river with a splash. She cautiously walked towards the branch Jack and Gibbs sat at. "Are you alright?" She had meant that for the both of them, but Em couldn't help but look particularly at Jack when she said it.

Jack smiled down at her as his legs swung back and forth underneath him. "Love, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow," he told her proudly.

Em wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes. "Predictable," she muttered.

"Em, look out behind you!" Michael called from the trees.

Em's eyes widened as she spun around and cocked her pistol. Her eyes immediately went to the water where she spotted the head of an alligator swimming rapidly towards her.

"Emelia, get out of there now!" Jack called urgently from above.

Em tried to run for the trees, but her foot caught a vine under the water and she tripped. Her pistol flew out of her hand. Em fell into the cold, red water amidst the shouts of alarm from the men around her. She was faintly aware of something dropping into the water next to her. The next moment, hands wrapped themselves around her torso, and she surfaced the water with the sounds of a gunshot ringing in her ears. She looked up at her savior: it was Jack.

"Jack!" she spluttered. Yet Em remembered the danger and looked towards the spot she last saw the reptile. To her amazement, the same grey creature from before was finishing off the wounded alligator. With a low moan-like growl, the grey animal reared back its open mouth and clamped down hard upon the head of the predator, killing it. The creature let the carcass drop into the river before disappearing under the water.

Em looked at Jack again and was surprised to find that his face was much closer to hers. Then she realized that his arms were wrapped tightly around her body while her hands were gripping the front of his trench coat. Em tried to step out of his arms, but Jack tightened them to keep her from moving. "Look!" he said. Em snapped her head to where he and everyone else were looking. In front of Em and Jack, the grey creature's head was protruding from the water.

"What is it?" Em whispered fearfully. She watched warily as the head began to swim around them slowly before finally disappearing for good under the water.

"Well whatever it was, it just saved our lives," Jack remarked as he unwound his arms from her body. However, he still kept one arm around possessively around her waist.

A smile crept across Em's mouth. She was suddenly feeling shy, something uncommon for her. Yet she quickly shook it off once Jack's attention turned to what was left of the men.

"Alright, whoever's not dead, say 'aye'," he called to their smaller group. A host of grunts and moans met his words. From when they had left the Pearl, about a little more than a half had survived. When some went to inspect the boats, it was to discover that two of them had miraculously managed to survive the whole ordeal.

Em shook her head at the loss, but was secretly glad that the people that did count like Michael and most importantly Jack had managed to survive.

Abandoning the boats to where they were, they continued on. Except now, they all carried their weapons out in the open. Silently, everyone decided that sticking to the banks on either side of the river was a safer thing to do than going in the river. Above their party, Jack the monkey swung through the tree branches. As they trekked on, Em and Jack soon noticed that the river was becoming narrower and shallower until it finally ended with a few large boulders. The water seemed to be coming from a crack in the pile of boulders.

Marty inched slowly closer to the rocks. "Do ye think the fountain's behind these rocks?" he asked Em, who was looking at the map.

Em squinted her eyes at the small dotted line on the map, tracing it with her pinky. She finally shook her head and pointed off to the right of the boulders. "We have to go a hundred paces east," she ordered. Em pulled away from Jack and led the way. As she disappeared behind a tree, Jack the monkey dropped onto her shoulders from the branch above.

Em knew they had gone the hundred paces because they came upon a skeleton of a soldier wearing old sixteenth century Spanish armor. What was strange about this skeleton besides that it was in a sitting position against a gigantic old tree was its right arm. Its right arm was propped up by one of the tree's large roots.

Em drew closer to the skeleton to examine its arms. She dropped down to her knees and fingered the rings on the right hand. Taking those rings, she threw them over her shoulder at the waiting men. Several gasped as the few rays of sunlight glinted off the jewels. Em got back to her feet and took a few steps away from the skeleton. Taking the map, she looked at it.

"_Va al sitio donde el cadaver encontrarse_," she read the line next to the miniature drawing of a dead man on the map in Spanish. "_Go to the place where the skeleton lies_." Em stared at the last word "lies". It was underlined. Em looked back at the skeleton, particularly at its right hand. Then she saw it. Its hand was pointing off to the right. Em's eyes widened in realization and she smiled widely. The monkey on her shoulder chattered happily. Stashing the map back in her coat, she began to quickly walk towards the direction the hand was pointing at.

"Where are you going, captain?" Michael was the first to notice Em was walking away, attracted by the monkey's noises. He quickly followed her and so did everyone else.

As they went deeper into the forest, thick vines began to interrupt their way. Em drew out her cutlass and began cutting the vines away. Em parted away a few large ferns to reveal an old stone wall. At the far left of the wall was an archway. Without waiting for a chance for the others to catch up, Em walked towards it. When she entered through the archway, she was surrounded by vine-choked rocks that were on the verge of crumbling.

At the far end on the west, a glint of silver caught Em's eye and she turned to it. Em spotted what looked like a fountain. Heart racing, she raced towards it, forgetting about the distant sounds of the men came closer. Wild thoughts of a great fountain spouting the waters of immortality were tamed and then died as she came to a halt at the foot of what looked like the remainder of a fountain. The silver glint she had thought was light reflecting off the fountain waters was actually light reflecting off a broken mirror. Em looked up at the defaced Greek goddess holding the mirror. There was not even a drop of water coming out of the cracked vase the figure held with its other hand.

The old map of Juan Ponce de Leon slipped through her numb fingers and fluttered to the ground. It was gone. The fountain was destroyed, and its immortal waters gone. The realization that Mr. Drummond's death was in vain hit her hardest. Em slowly sank to her knees just as the rest of the men entered in the ruins through the archway.

"Look, thar she be!" someone cried. They drew closer to Em and saw that she was kneeling on the ground, looking forlornly at the ruins of a fountain before her. Stunned silence descended upon their small group. It was until Jack appeared behind Em and placed a hand on her shoulder did the harsh whispers among the men broke.

"Risk our lives for nuthing but-"

"-will pay-"

"We deserve compensation!"

Jack bent closer to Em's ear. "Emelia, the natives are getting a lil' restless! Get back to yer senses!" he told her hurriedly as a roar of "ayes" erupted from the crew. The captains were on the verge of a mutiny. Yet when Em failed to respond to Jack, he sighed in aggravation and stood up straight. Taking his pistol, Jack cocked it and fired about the men's heads to silence them.

"Alrigh' ye black dogs! You want _compensation_ from ol' Jack? Well look all around you! There _had_ been a damned fountain, but it was founded before us! Are ye slimy gits all happy now?" he yelled at them.

Em closed her eyes as the rebellious crew men responded to Jack by taking out their cutlasses and pointing it at Jack. "Oh bugger," she heard Jack mutter as began to lean forward. When her hands touched the dry ground, her left hand landed on the map. Em opened her eyes and pulled the map closer to her. She began to trace the dotted line with her finger.

Jack drew out his own sword and pointed it at the men. "Oh ye want to fight, eh? Come and get me!" he shouted as he waved his effect at them menacingly.

Out from the crowd, Michael Turnbull, Briggen, Godsworth, Marty, and finally Mr. Gibbs stepped away from the rest of the men and lined up on either side of Jack with their weapons drawn. Marty held a shovel that was much taller than him and looked slightly comical with it.  
Jack looked at them once, but thanked them for risking their necks for him.

Em's three loyal crewmen shared a look. "We're not doing this for you, Jack," Michael muttered as the six of them watched as the rest of the crew began closing in on them.

Hidden behind them, Em still marked the path with her finger on the map. She looked at the small drawing of the dead man and the line in Spanish next to it. _Go to the place where the skeleton lies._** Lies** . . . Em's eyes widened. Abandoning the map, she threw herself onto her feet. Seeing the shovel Marty held, she rushed towards him and wrestled it from his grip.

"Emelia-?" Jack began, but Marty's yell of surprise when Em pushed him away drowned his question. Jack watched as Em suddenly ran headlong into the mutinous crewmen, shovel raised above her head. The men, equally surprised by her crazy action, quickly parted away from her and looked on as she ran through the archway and back into the forest. After exchanging looks with the five others around him, Jack also took off after Em. Soon, it had begun a chase.

Em pushed through the vines and jumped over roots as she ran back to the place where the skeleton lay. She clearly heard Jack's calls for her from behind but did not stop running until she burst through the shrubs and into the place where the bones lay against the gigantic tree. Em kicked the bones aside as if it were rubbish and began digging at the place where it laid.

Jack burst through the same shrubbery and instantly spotted Em's upper half toiling under the shade of the great tree's leaves. The other half was already under ground level. A hole was already beginning to form around her. Jack took out his compass just as the trees behind him began to shake and the sounds of Em's shoveling were interrupted by the thunder made by the men as they approached. Jack watched as the needle spun wildly, silently thinking of the treasure, _any_ treasure that would save their necks. And just as the shrubbery behind him were cut down by the rest of the men, and just as the needle came to a halt in the direction where Em was now only a mere head, Em's shovel hit something hard. The loud, dull thud made by the shovel instantly silenced the men. All eyes went to Em as she threw the shovel out of the hole she made.

Everyone held their breath as they cautiously walked closer towards the hole until they all soon crowded around it. Em used her hands to dig out the remaining soil around what she could now see as a very large silver chest. Under Jack's orders, Godsworth and another strong man put away their cutlasses and dropped into the hole with Em. By now, just about everyone could see the gold cross embedded on top of the chest lid. Em jumped out of the hole as each of the two men took either side of the chest and pulled it out of the dirt. Seeing how much they struggled, more men dropped into the hole and assisted with heaving the chest out of the hole. The rest gave them space as they climbed out of the hole and dropped their heavy burden in front of Em and Jack. Jack the monkey hopped down Em's shoulder and onto the silver chest, chattering excitedly.

Jack took the shovel Briggen held out to him, and with a great heave, he broke the old copper lock. Greedily, Em fell to her knees and removed the broken lock. Jack thrust the shovel into Briggen's stomach before falling next to her. After shooing the monkey off the chest, together they slowly lifted the chest lid open.

Despite how no ray of light reached them through the tree's leaves, the gold and precious jewels held in the chest shined and winked brightly up at them.

"Holy Mary, Mother of God," Gibbs gasped as he lifted the small leather flask around his neck and drank deeply from it. Roars of celebration came after this. Everyone began to jump or dance around, exhilarated.

Jack yelled out in triumph. He jumped to his feet and lifted Em clear off her fee.t "We did it!" he shouted as he swung her around. He stopped and pulled her into a deep kiss. To his surprise, he instantly felt moisture on his face. Jack pulled away and looked down at the tears running down on both sides of Em's face. He saw that these tears were made out of both sadness and joy. "What is the matter, darling?" he asked as he pulled her body closer to his.

Em slowly smiled and kissed him. "Nothing's the matter," she reassured him. Em pulled away but held into his hand. "Come, we've got to load all this back onto the Pearl!"

Jack smiled before drawing her into another long kiss.


	41. Take What's Yours

They hauled the treasure back to the river and onto the remaining two long boats. Zealous about protecting their treasure, they all had their weapons drawn out. Through the cracks in the leaves and branches, they could tell the sun was just beginning to set. They went down the river with no more attacks by alligators or any other creatures.

When they were spotted by the rest of the men on the Pearl, great shouts of celebration erupted when Em and Jack both shot their pistols in the air as a signal of success. Although they were met by some disappointment from not finding the waters of eternal youth, the disappointment instantly vanished into thin air once eyes were laid on the chest full of gold and jewels.

By Jack's orders, they quickly set sail to Port St. Augustine. In addition, the last of their stored bottles of rum Jack had been hoarding were allowed to be shared and drunk after the chest was locked away in his cabin.

Somehow, Ozz was able to push through the crowd of drunken pirates towards the helm where Jack and Em stood, kissing. "'Scuse me fer interruptin' cap'ns, but I must speak wit Em," Ozz mumbled. His normally pale face was flushed pink.

The urgency in his tone forced Em to pull away from Jack despite his protests. "We'll talk more when we've reached port, Captain Sparrow," she told him over her shoulder with a wink as she followed Ozz down the stairs. He led her into the hatch and down the flight of stairs until they came to the only part of the ship not inhabited by their fellow pirates: the kitchen.

"Now what is it that you wanted to speak with me about?" Em asked as she took a seat on an empty barrel. When she looked up and saw the troubled look on the doctor's face, her grin fell. "What's the matter?"

* * *

By twilight, they had sailed up Florida and into the harbor of Port St. Augustine. They were in luck that the port was not as proper or as infested with Royal Navy officers as any other ordinary port. Still, many of the Pearl's crewmen had become sober after docking the ship. When Em and Jack turned them loose into the town, many men went almost quietly. The few that stayed on the Pearl were the ones that were not drunk so that they could keep close watch on the treasure.

Em and Jack also were some of the ones that escaped into the town. With some of the gold coins they had pilfered from the chest, they went into the nearest inn and drank themselves silly.

"The treasure is ours," Em practically sang as she swayed in her seat next to Jack.

Her companion grinned stupidly at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Setting down his empty tankard, he leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear. Em delighted him by giggling and nodding to his request. When no one was looking, they sneaked off to a free room on the second floor. As soon as the door was locked, Em and Jack locked their own lips and moved towards the bed.

"Tell me what happened on The Flying Dutchman, Jack," Em moaned.

Jack's lips froze from where they were on Em's neck. Their owner slowly lifted his upper body from on top of Em's body. The look he gave her was genuinely confused. "What?" he asked, hoping he had not heard right.

Em used her elbows to elevate her upper body. Her face was etched with seriousness. "Davy Jones had implied that you were going to join his crew.'Very soon' were his own words. Why?" she demanded. Her dark brown eyes followed him as he rolled off of her and onto the bed. He was trying not to look at her. Not letting him get away from her again, Em placed a hand on the side of his face and forced him to look at her. "Tell me," she coaxed in a gentler voice. "It's not like you had sold my soul to the devil," she joked weakly.

Jack cracked a nervous grin. "Not _your_ soul, per say," he said quickly.

Em raised an eyebrow now. "Then whose soul?" she asked carefully, not knowing if she wanted to hear his answer.

Jack sat up and waited for Em to do the same to say, "My soul."

Em bit her lip to keep from gasping, but her wide eyes showed Jack their fright. "Why?" she managed to choke out. Her hand on his face began to slip off, but Jack's hand grabbed hers.

"Twelve years ago," Jack began, "I made a deal with Davy Jones. If he would raise my ship that Beckett had sunk and make me its captain for thirteen years, then I would become a member of his crew for one hundred years."

"And this is why-"

"I came on this grand adventure to chase the Fountain of Youth?" Jack finished with a genuine grin. He shrugged carelessly. "Not really. I was reminded horribly of my debt when I met Jones again a few days ago. No, Emelia," Jack said and tenderly kissed her hand, "I came because I wanted to be with you in case this would be the last time we ever see each other."

That last part was spoken with such truth and passion that Em closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling. At that moment, Jack's hands were gently pushing her back onto the bed. The tears fell anyway, down the sides of her face which Jack kissed away. Their lips met amidst a fierce embrace. Jack's hands roamed everywhere, yet he still took his sweet time.

"I love you," Em whispered into his ear. Jack responded by kissing her again so that she moaned against his lips.

Then suddenly, loud thunderous footsteps accompanied by the loud clanging of metal interrupted them. A moment later, the noises were replaced by a loud banging on their locked door. From 

behind the thick wood, a harsh voice yelled, "Open up in the name of King George!"

Time seemed to stand still as Em and Jack froze on the bed, staring at each other with wide eyes. Even now, outside their window, they could hear the shouts and cries of alarm coming from their crewmen that they hadn't noticed until now.

With the next bang, Jack quickly rolled off of Em and onto his feet next to the bed. Before she could move, he roughly covered her mouth with one of his hands while the other pulled her off the bed. He then forced her under the bed. "No matter what happens, stay under here and _don't do anything stupid!_" he ordered her quietly. Em nodded just as the door was busted open and soldiers from the Royal Navy began filing in.

Jack calmly put on his tricorn hat despite that their soldiers had their guns trained on him. "'Ello gents," he greeted them with a friendly smile.

Silence temporarily descended upon them, but it was cut short by the voice of a familiar person who had just entered the room.

"Where is she, Jack Sparrow?"

Em instantly recognized Cutler Beckett's silky voice. She began to growl. Jack's boot stepped on her hand as a warning, and Em bit her lip hard to keep from yelping out in pain. Jack raised a finger towards Beckett. "That's Captain Jack Sparrow, to _all _of you," he added to everyone in the room.

Beckett sniffed disdainfully. "Indeed," he said shortly before he began to pace slowly around the room. "Where is Emelia Kraven, _Captain_ Jack Sparrow?" Beckett tried again.

Jack thought quickly. His eyes landed on the open window right behind one of the guards. He pointed to it with his thumb. "Left through the window 'bout an hour ago," he told Beckett.

The commander of the British East India Company stopped pacing and smirked. "Couldn't keep your hold on her?" he taunted.

"At least I can get some from a woman any time I want. Can't say the same fer you though, mate," Jack added devilishly.

From under the bed, Em covered her mouth with her hands to keep from laughing. From what she could hear, many of the soldiers were also trying to keep from laughing.

Cutler Beckett threw Jack an ugly look before he turned on his heel and made for the door. At the doorway, Beckett looked over his shoulder and to his men, ordered simply, "Shoot him."

Em's eyes widened as the multiple sounds of the soldiers' hammers clicking reached her ears.

"No!" she shouted. Em rolled out from under the bed and jumped to her feet. She placed her body in front of Jack.

Cutler Beckett turned around to face them with a triumphant smile across his cleanly shaved face. "I knew Sparrow couldn't have helped you escape that quickly after-" He looked towards the bed and then back towards the pirates, a grin now on his face. He nodded to his leading officer. "Take all their weapons and clap them in irons," he ordered before sweeping out of the room.

Jack and Em were taken to the fortress-like jail overlooking the docks. Most of Jack's crew was already there. Out of Em's men, two or three had been captured as well. Everyone else had escaped. Em was relieved to see that Michael, Chase, Ozz, Briggen, and Godsworth were not in the cells with them. However, Joshamee Gibbs and Marty were among those in the cells. As soon as Em and Jack were pushed into the cell that was as far away from the rest of the men, Cutler Beckett swept in. He walked towards the cell the pirate captains stood in and smirked.

"Two of the Caribbean's most infamous pirates right in the palm of my hand," he mused.

Jack rolled his eyes as he took a seat on one of the benches and tipped his hat over his eyes.

Em, however, wasn't about to take all this sitting down like him. She was instantly standing at the bars. "I will _never_ be in the palm of your hand unless it's my severed head!" she growled in Beckett's face.

He raised an eyebrow. "That shall be arranged in the morning," he told her coolly. He looked over her head towards Jack. "Oh, and Sparrow? In the future, do take more care as to where your lust takes you." Beckett started towards the exit, stopped, and turned back. "But then again, I guess you don't have to worry about that anymore," he added with a chuckle.

When the door shut behind him, Em pushed away from the bars. She began pacing. "How could he have possibly known we were here?" she fumed.

Jack looked at her from under his hat. "Isn't it obvious?" he mused.

Em froze and slowly turned her head towards him. "Malva Dame," she said with finality.

Jack closed his eyes and smirked. "The one and only."

Em turned away from him. Looking towards the barred window across the cell doors, she saw the full moon. "High tide," she whispered softly to herself as a plan began to form in her mind. Her eyes moved away from the window to Jack again. After taking a deep breath to gather her courage, Em walked towards the cell doors and called for one of the guards standing on either side of the exit.

One of them finally decided to answer her calls. Stopping in front of her cell, he irately asked her what she wanted.

Em looked up at him coldly. "I wish to speak with Beckett about matters of great importance," she said loudly enough to attract everyone's attention. Even Jack snapped his eyes open and tipped his hat back to look at Em oddly.

The guard eyed her skeptically. "I highly doubt that Master Beckett would give the time for a scoundrel like you," he sniffed.

Em raised an eyebrow contemptuously. "Of course he would." Here she leaned closer into the bars so that their faces were less than half a foot apart. "Especially if it was about something as _vital_ as this," she stressed.

Jack jumped to his feet as the guard conceded by taking the key to their cell and opened the bar doors to let Em out. When the doors clanged shut after Em, Jack was instantly standing where Em had previously been, looking at her. "What are you planning?" he asked her as the guard clapped iron handcuffs to her wrists.

Em didn't respond, nor did she so much as look at him before the guard led her out.

* * *

Cutler Beckett was sitting behind a writing desk in the warden's great office by himself when the guard ushered Em through the polished double doors. Beckett smiled widely when he set eyes on Em as if he knew it would be her who would come through those doors. When the guard left them, Beckett gestured towards the chair in front of him.

Em stiffly declined, choosing to remain standing.

Beckett shrugged carelessly. He leaned forward onto the desk, resting both of his hands on its smooth surface. He surveyed Em through half-closed eyes. "So what brings you into my presence, Miss Kraven?" he asked her in a light tone.

_As if it were an honor to be in his_ presence, Em thought acidly. Instead, in a calm voice, she told him there as something very important that she had to tell him.

Beckett got to his feet and began to slowly prowl around the desk until he stood a few feet away from Em. "I'm listening," he said.

Em nodded. "The reason I wanted to speak with you is because of my condition," she told him seriously.

Beckett raised an eyebrow. "Condition?" he echoed hollowly.

A smile started to form across Em's mouth, but she quickly tucked it away for later. "I plead my belly," she announced.

As if he had been hit by a low blow, Cutler Beckett took a step away from her, completely stunned. "Indeed?" he gasped. He quickly regained his composure. Clearing his throat, he adjusted the front of his coat as he looked into the haughty eyes of Emelia Kraven. A malicious smirk grew on his face. "With child, eh? Well, Jack Sparrow must feel quite _proud_," Beckett spat.

Em placed her hands on her hips despite that she still wore handcuffs. The chain between the cuffs pressed onto her abdomen, making it more noticeable of the small bump forming on her stomach. "Whoever said Jack Sparrow was the father?" she demanded angrily. Like she had predicted, Beckett's look turned condescending, as if he were looking at a common whore.

"Indeed," he said smoothly. He reached into one of his front pockets and extracted a small iron key. Beckett waved it under Em's nose. "You _do_ know what this means for the others back in their cells as well as Jack Sparrow?" he asked her slyly. He answered himself. "It means _you_ go free while the others face the hangman's noose tomorrow morning which would be in, oh say, four hours." He smiled at Em as she snatched the key form him and proceeded to unlock the cuffs.

"It's only good business," she repeated a line he said frequently. After the cuffs dropped to the floor with a loud _clank_, Em threw the key to Beckett before rubbing her sore wrists. "Now if you could excuse me, I must bid Jack a final farewell and a horrendous death," she told him.

"As a gentleman, I must insist on accompanying you down to the cells," Beckett said, not fully trusting her motives.

Em nodded and motioned towards the double doors. "Lead on." Beckett swept past her and she followed. When they entered the room where Jack and the others were in, Em requested that she speak with Jack alone.

Beckett inclined his head toward her before going outside to wait.

Em quickly ran towards Jack's cell. He was already at the bars.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

Em bit her lip. "I've been set free," she told him cautiously. Em turned her back on him and spotted her weapons in a far corner. She made a beeline for them.

"How did you manage to convince that slimy git to let you go?" Jack asked suspiciously as Em took back her cutlass and pistol. She concealed them within the folds of her clothes. Her cutlass she strapped to her side but hid it from sight using her coat. Her daggers she left them where they were.

Em turned back to Jack. This time, she wouldn't meet his eyes and she kept a small distance between them. She mumbled something, but Jack didn't catch it. He beckoned her closer. When she was within arm's reach, Jack's hand shot out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her closer to him. "Emelia, what did you tell him?" he asked her hurriedly.

Em also sensed that their time was almost up. "I told him I was with child," she whispered. Em watched as the same amount of surprise Beckett showed her appeared on Jack's face. Her heart sank.

"Are you . . . pregnant?" Jack asked weakly, hesitantly.

Em put a hard mask on despite how she wanted to cry instead. "No . . . I lied," she told him, her dull voice sounding distant. A look of relief washed over Jack like a tidal wave, and Em couldn't bear to look at him. She turned away as the door opened.

"Time's up," Cutler Beckett called from the doorway.

Em walked towards him without looking back at Jack. She nodded towards the other men in the dingy cells before stepping through the door with Beckett. When he led her out of the fortress, Beckett grabbed her arm and forced her to turn to him. "When you have given birth to your bastard, you will be hunted down again," he told her coldly.

Em ripped her arm out of his grip. She fought the urge to shove her cutlass into his gut and smiled with equal chill. "How benevolent of you," she told him before walking calmly away into the town.

When she couldn't see the fortress behind her any longer, Em made a sharp turn into an alleyway before setting off at a run towards the docks. But when she got there, she saw that the Black Pearl had disappeared. Em's heart began to hammer wildly in her chest.

"_Raawk!_ Captain spotted ahead!"

Em looked up and felt immense relief to see Cotton's parrot flying towards her. Grasped in its claws was Jack the monkey. The bird swooped down and dropped the monkey on Em's head. The human watched the colorful bird circle over her head once before setting off away from the docks and towards the beach. Em quickly followed it. The bird didn't go straight for the beach as Em had thought it would. Instead, Cotton's parrot led her far away from the town until they reached a cliff. On the other side of the cliff for no one to see, the Pearl bobbed in the water.

"Em! Thank god you're alright!" Michael exclaimed as he helped his captain onto the deck.

As she straightened up, she noticed that everyone on the ship was moving towards sailing off. "Where are we going?" she demanded as Michael followed her towards the helm where Cotton with his parrot stood.

"I've told the men to take us away from this port," Michael told her.

Em pierced him with a hard look. "We're not leaving Jack and the others to die!" she told him harshly. Walking towards the helm's balcony, she ordered the men below to prepare the cannons. A strong hand grabbed her and forced her to turn around. She looked up into Michael's angry blue eyes.

"You're going to get us all killed!" he yelled at her. His look suddenly turned suspicious. "How did you get free? We all saw Cutler Beckett take you and Jack from the inn as we ran back to the Pearl," he said slowly. When he noticed Em refused to meet his eyes, he let go of her arm and placed his hand on her shoulder instead.

"I pled my belly," Em suddenly said. She felt Michael's hand jump off her shoulder as if she had electrocuted him. She looked at him then, smiling weakly.

Michael stammered. "I-Is it Jack's child?"

Em stepped away from the balcony when she noticed the men below were gathering, waiting for her orders. "Come Michael, we must save this child's father," she told her stunned childhood best friend over her shoulder. Her smile instantly morphed into a smirk. "I happen to have a plan," she added and pointed towards the docks, particularly at a large Navy ship called The Red Robin.


	42. And Steal All the Rest

* * *

Oswald Green and half a dozen men rowed to shore on a single boat and flew silently like shadows throughout the town. Each man carried small barrels of gunpowder and sacks full of wine bottles and bombs. At each street corner, they set a barrel down before placing a fuse in it. They took a bomb, lit it and the fuse coming from the barrel, and flung it into a nearby window before running away. Soon, screams from the locals filled the air amidst the explosions of the bombs and barrels going off. As soon as people began pouring out onto the streets, Ozz and his men took the bottles of wine with rags sticking out from the tops. They lit the rags on fire before throwing the bottles through all the windows and into the throng of citizens. Quickly, panic swept through the pedestrians like a plague as the inferno grew while pirates ran freely among them wreaking more havoc.

* * *

Michael Turnbull headed the raid on The Red Robin in the docks. A fight barely ensued between the men he had taken with him and the crew of the ship before they had everyone plus the captain down in the water rowing away on a long boat.

Michael took his place behind the large steering wheel. Below on the main deck, his men were waiting for further orders. Michael turned to the rear of the ship where the Black Pearl sailed past the ship. He waved to Cotton, who manned the Pearl's helm, as the Pearl turned away from the Robin towards the jail fortress. Michael turned back to his men.

"Alright, set sail into open water and load those guns," he ordered.

* * *

Up in the mighty jail fortress, Cutler Beckett was carefully looking over the letter he had just received by his lead henchman, Mr. Mercer. The letter Beckett held delicately in his hands was a letter by King George of Britain. Beckett's mouth curved up into a smile. He looked up from the letter. "_Lord_ Cutler Beckett," he said out loud, savoring every syllable of his new title. He was now one of the most powerful men in the world.

Mercer nodded. "Congradula-" The windows beside them suddenly shattered, throwing the two men onto the floor.

Beckett was the first to recover as he used the warden's writing desk to help himself onto his feet. "What was that?" he demanded as Mercer ran to the broken windows and looked out.

Mercer looked at Beckett from over his shoulder with wide eyes. "There's a pirate raid in the town, and it seems that a pirate ship with torn black sails is shooting at the fortress with its cannons," he quickly reported. He looked back outside, gasped, and then jumped out of the way just as a cannon ball sailed through the windows and crashed into the painting of the warden on the opposite wall.

Beckett began to yell at Mercer's stunned form still on the ground. "Well, what are you still doing there? Tell them to sound the bloody alarms!" he ordered hysterically. When Mercer had run through the double doors, Beckett walked towards the damaged windows and stopped in front of them.

"Emelia Kraven," he only said.

* * *

In a different location of the jail fortress where Jack and his companions were kept, thick silence reigned. They were not yet aware of what was happening in the outside. The prisoners had just been informed by one of the two guards that they were to be sentenced to hang at dawn, two hours from now.

From where he was far away with the rest of the men, Gibbs banged his forehead on the bar doors in frustration. "We're going to die here, aren't we, Jack?" he called to where his captain was in his own secluded area.

Jack, who had gone back to his position on the bench after Em left, smiled wryly. "It's only a matter of time, my good friend," he answered.

As soon as those words left his dry lips, an explosion coming from the barred windows suddenly erupted, tearing at the silence. Next, the building began to shake violently. The men in the room cried out in surprise as they fell to the floor, Jack Sparrow included.

"What the bloody hell is going on out there?" one of the guards yelled as he picked himself off the ground.

A third guard in a loose-fitting uniform came bursting in through the door, knocking the two onto the ground again. "Cutler Beckett wants all men outside! There's a pirate raid in the town!" the guard shouted at the two as they picked themselves up. "He ordered me to take your places here." The three guards saluted to each other before the other two quickly left.

By now, all the prisoners were hanging at the bar doors, watching and listening intently. They all watched as the guard took off the large hat that had previously obscured his eyes. One of the three men of Em's crew immediately recognized him. "Briggen!" he cried joyfully.

The pirate before them grinned toothily before he stripped off his disguise. A loud rapping on the door made everyone but Briggen instantly freeze, but to their relief, when Briggen opened the door, only Em, Chase, and Godsworth came through.

Em smirked at them. "'Ello chums," she greeted them before taking the keys Briggen held out to her. She proceeded to unlock all the cells. When she finally reached Jack's cell, he quickly took her into his arms and kissed her soundlessly.

Em quickly pulled away. She looked at him for the longest moment, battling with herself. Jack cupped her face with his hands. He saw her struggling to say something to him. "Say it, love. We won't have any more time after," he coaxed. However, they were interrupted by another loud blast and the building shaking again.

Em pushed away and turned to the men. "Get your weapons and then prepare to get the hell out of here!" she yelled at them.

They stormed outside the fortress, blades swinging and pistols blaring with the alarm Beckett had ordered to be on ringing in their ears. Em was the last to walk through the gates when she was attacked by Mercer. She quickly drew out her cutlass and parried with Beckett's head henchman. She gasped as he managed to knick her on the same arm Malva Dame had shot days before. Mercer took his chance and disarmed her. Her cutlass fell to the ground as Mercer ran behind her and put his sword blade to her neck.

Cutler Beckett suddenly appeared in front of them. He smirked at Em trying to move her neck away from the blade. "Very clever, Miss Kraven," he told her but with no admiration what so ever in his tone.

Em finally let the smile she had saved back in his office show now. "My great pleasure, Beckett," she spat.

"That's _Lord_ Beckett now." He relished the surprised look on her face. "Yes, now I have more power than ever before," he told her.

"Emelia!" Jack had finally taken notice she was no longer following behind him and turned around to see her in Mercer's clutches with his sword to her neck and Beckett in front of them.

Cutler Beckett slowly turned around to face Jack, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Take one more step, and she is as good as dead," he warned the pirate. He was suddenly met with the end of Jack's pistol.

"Let the girl go," Jack demanded dangerously as he cocked the hammer.

Never the one to take a chance with his life, Beckett looked over his shoulder and ordered Mercer to let Emelia Kraven go. When Mercer did, Em first took back her cutlass before giving Mercer a hard blow across the face, knocking him out instantly.

Cutler Beckett watched with narrow eyes as Jack and Em gave him one last look before running off with the others. "We'll meet again," he said to their retreating backs.

Jack, Em, and the rest of the men stole to the docks where boats were waiting for them. Out into the open water, the Robin and the Pearl waited for them. Em and her men took their own boat from Jack and his men.

Before they set off towards the ships, Jack took off the necklace with the pendant of the soaring bird on it. He leaned over to Em's boat, took her hand, and placed the necklace in it. He looked up into Em's wide eyes that were beginning to tear up. "Don't forget me," he told her.

Em promised him she wouldn't and put on the necklace as they began to row to their respective ships; Jack to the Pearl and Em to the Robin. Those of Em's crew that were still on the Pearl quickly swung onto the Robin and helped set sail. The two ships sailed away from Port St. Augustine in the dawn morning with the port burning in the background.

Before they went their separate ways, Jack southwest and Em southeast, the men shouted their farewells to each other.

Em looked at Jack for what seemed to the both of them for the final time and blew a kiss to him as he tipped his hat to her.

_Fifteen men on a dead man's chest . . ._

Many good men have died in this journey. Most important of all was Em and Michael's father-like figure, Mr. Drummond. May his soul rest in Fiddler's Green.

_Take what's yours . . ._

Em watched as the Pearl became smaller and smaller before her moist dark brown eyes. She clutched the small pendant hanging around the thin golden chain around her neck. She would never forget Jack Sparrow. Although her heart called to him, she was content that she had been with him this one last time.

_And steal all the rest . . ._

Michael came up to the helm. He stood behind Em and waited until she turned to him. "Em, the treasure chest is secured and locked away in your cabin," he told her with a grin.

Em smirked and turned back to where the Pearl sailed away.

Gibbs hurried up the stairs leading to the helm and skidded to a halt next to Jack. "Jack," he panted, "they've taken the treasure!"

Jack's eyes widened. "_What?_" he demanded as he left the wheel. Jack walked past Gibbs and stopped on the side of the helm to face the direction the Robin was sailing away. The thought of ordering his men to turn the ship around to follow them crossed his mind, but then he let it pass. A faint smile even lit his face.

"Pirates."

_Yo ho ho . . ._

Em threw her head back and laughed, delighted to have taken all. Well, maybe not _all_. She turned back around to discover that the Pearl was now a mere speck on the horizon. Her laughter faded.

Michael silently took her place behind the wheel. He reached over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Em looked at him. Smiling slightly, she said, "We'll meet each other again, I can feel it," she told him. "In the mean time, I think we should set sail for home."

"Barbados?" Michael asked hopefully as he let his hand slip from her shoulder.

Em nodded. "I think it's time I've come back home and give _this one_ a home," she said, clearly referring to the little human being growing in her stomach before facing towards the direction she had last seen the Black Pearl.

_And a bottle of rum . . ._

"Someday . . ." Em murmured to herself.

Even if she wouldn't see Jack again in this lifetime, as she placed a hand on the small bump forming on her stomach, she knew her child would.

She could feel it.

* * *

And that's the END to this story! The sequel's called The Robin's Flight. Sadly enough, there'll be less of Em, but still a LOT of Jack Sparrow!


End file.
